Committees approve $700,000 annual opioid settlement grant pool, increase of $200,000

The committees approved the FY2026 opioid settlement budget, which keeps personnel and benefits for opioid coordination, modest contractual costs and a $700,000 grant pool for local opioid response programs.

Ashley Watson, opioid settlement coordinator, said the county has about $4 million on hand and expects roughly $9.2 million in settlement receipts to date (not including any final Purdue Pharma distributions). Watson described the budget as focused on strategic, evidence‑based investments and noted that consulting support used during strategic planning is no longer needed this year. "The larger amount of the funding in the amount of $700,000 is an increase of $200,000 from the previous year," she said, describing how the spring renewal of current grants and a fall round will allocate the money.

Why it matters: The opioid settlement funds are one‑time and multi‑year receipts intended to support local prevention, treatment and recovery efforts. Committees approved the budget by voice vote and directed staff to continue using evidence‑based practices and lived‑experience input when evaluating grant proposals.