Oldham County approves $12,250 opioid outreach contract and backs further study of multi-county drug task force

Oldham County Fiscal Court on Jan. 21 voted to approve a $12,250 contract for county opioid-outreach publications and to authorize the county attorney to continue exploring the creation of a multi-county drug task force.

The court approved a motion to fund a year-long outreach package that will use the county’s publications and website to publicize resources such as Narcan locations and suicide hotlines. Jane Ashley Pace, representing the opioid funds committee, described the plan as a way to communicate available services: "...we are a great way to get information out," she said, and noted the package would include a website presence and special county publications.

The court also voted to let Barry Baxter move forward to the next planning meeting for a proposed task force that would span the 71 corridor, covering Carroll, Henry, Owen, Trimble, Gallatin and Oldham counties (and possibly Shelby). Baxter, who outlined the early planning work, said the idea is at an "initial planning stage" and described a model in which counties sign an MOU, hire a director and contribute either personnel or money: "There would be a proposal that some officers be attached to that task force either on a part time or full time basis," he said. He asked only for permission to report the court's support for exploring the idea at an upcoming Friday meeting; the court approved that request with no commitment of dollars or staff.

Oldham County Police Chief Smith and Sheriff Tim Wakefield both discussed operational limits. Chief Smith said Oldham County Police currently prioritizes neighborhood patrols and has multiple vacancies, and he cautioned that assigning an officer to an external task force would reduce local patrol capacity: "We have 3 vacancies, currently 3 vacancies," he said, adding that sending an officer away is not in the department’s best interest at this time. The sheriff indicated his office might be able to provide personnel but said doing so could require hiring additional staff funded by participating counties.

Court members debated funding sources. Several magistrates and county officials noted that opioid-abatement funds are available but must be logged and used in accordance with restrictions; Major Jeffries and others observed personnel funded by opioid dollars would need to track time spent on opioid-related work versus other drug enforcement. Magistrate Logsdon and others noted Oldham County holds a substantial opioid fund balance and that using those funds to seed a task force could leverage additional state and federal grants.

The court’s action on the task force was explicit about limits: the vote authorized the county attorney to pursue details and report back, but it included no commitment of county funds or personnel. Baxter will attend the January meeting representing Oldham County and return with more information if available.

The outreach contract will be coordinated with county staff for content. Jane Pace told the court the materials will include information about county and state resources for families and individuals affected by opioid misuse.

The court’s votes came after a presentation from the opioid funds committee and roughly an hour of discussion among magistrates, the sheriff and chiefs about capacity, funding rules and likely benefits of a coordinated regional response.