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Council debates uses of opioid settlement funds amid 2026 budget workshop
Summary
Finance reported the city has $317,515 on hand from opioid settlements (after a $15,000 expenditure) and projects a 2026 available total of $365,457; council debated candidate uses including an SRO, Anacortes Family Center support, and youth prevention programs.
During the Nov. 3 budget workshop Finance Director Hoagland reconciled opioid settlement receipts and possible uses in the 2026 budget.
Hoagland said the city has received $332,000 to date; after a $15,000 expenditure the balance is $317,515. Based on information received from the city attorney, staff project an additional $47,942 in 2026, producing an estimated $365,457 available for 2026 uses.
Council members discussed candidate allocations. Options discussed included:
- Fully funding the Anacortes School District school resource officer (SRO) position at roughly $80,000, paying the city's share from opioid funds for 2026. Councilmembers said the SRO budget affects school safety and prevention programming.
- Funding an Anacortes Family Center social-worker position (the draft staff proposal trimmed the request from $60,000 down to $30,000 during budget discussions).
- One-time or multiyear prevention programs proposed by the library, museum and parks departments: the three departments requested $75,000 over five years ($15,000 per year) for youth programming and expanded outreach; staff described uses such as summer teen staffing, performers for summer reading, after-school arts programming, youth drop-in athletic programs and museum youth collaborations.
- Participation in Northstar regional efforts and potential contributions to the Northstar steering committee and projects (council discussed "upstream" prevention vs. "downstream" recovery investments). Staff and council noted Northstar proposals included larger regional investments (detox and bridge housing) that exceed local opioid funds.
Councilmembers expressed differing priorities: some favored allocating funds to local prevention (library/museum/parks), others argued for supporting regional recovery services or maintaining funds for one-time or near-term needs. No final allocation decision was made on Nov. 3; council signaled it could allocate some funds now and preserve the remainder for future budgeting decisions.
