Commissioners table opioid funding item, ask for citizen advisory committee and June 16 update

Pender County commissioners on May 19 voted to table discussion of agenda item 8.4 — the delegation and oversight of the county's opioid settlement funds — until the Board’s June 16 regular meeting and asked staff to develop a citizen advisory committee to provide public input.

County staff and program leads told the board that the National Opioid Settlement carries specific Department of Justice reporting and participation requirements and that the county has already funded three multi‑year projects from its settlement share. "This set of funds is for their second year in the program to continue their projects for year 2," said Ms. Mosher, a county staff member overseeing the settlement process.

The board’s action was procedural: a commissioner moved to table the item and to ask staff to form an advisory committee; the motion passed by voice vote. Commissioners said they wanted the committee to include more citizen representation than the current panel that has been handling settlement work.

Why this matters: the settlement funds are federally overseen and restricted to certain program types and reporting benchmarks. County staff described the accountability steps that must be followed, including annual audits and required reporting to state and federal officials.

What staff told the board - Ms. Mosher said the county previously solicited proposals and funded three projects for three years: a DARE program, a post‑overdose response team run by Coastal (referred to in the meeting as the “port” program), and a school‑based education and staff training initiative. She said one of the original proposals did not meet grant criteria. - Ms. Mosher said the DARE program received $634,000 over three years; the post‑overdose response team received $656,000 over three years; and the school training programs received $37,000. She said the awards matched applicants’ requests. - Ms. Mosher explained that the county must keep opioid settlement proceeds in a separate fund and have a separate annual audit. She also said the county works with UNC–Chapel Hill on benchmarks and evaluation and that the Department of Justice reviews submitted reports.

Board direction and next steps - The board asked staff to form an advisory committee with citizen involvement and to present the committee’s membership and process at the June 16 meeting so any funded programs can remain operational when the fiscal year turns July 1. - Commissioners asked for copies of the 2024 program report and the metrics used to measure success; Ms. Mosher committed to share the report and the program measures.

Voices from the meeting - Ms. Mosher (county staff): "You are required to keep a totally separate fund with these opioid funds. And, you have to have a totally separate audit every year of those funds."