Mount Pleasant board approves budget amendment to buy TRU narcotics-testing equipment with opioid settlement funds

The Mount Pleasant Village Board voted Sept. 22 to approve Resolution 16-2025, a budget amendment to purchase TRU narcotics-testing equipment using opioid settlement funds.

The motion to approve Resolution 16-2025 was made and seconded and passed by roll call. The board recorded unanimous "Aye" responses from trustees during the roll call; the transcript records each trustee responding "Aye." The resolution authorizes using opioid settlement funds to acquire testing equipment for the police department; the dollar amount was not specified in the meeting record.

Police Chief said the equipment will reduce officers' contact with open drugs and reduce time and man-hours spent testing substances individually. "It's gonna protect police officers from handling open open drugs, and it's also gonna save time, I think, and man hours in testing drugs individually. So I think this is a great idea," the chief said. A trustee added that the equipment would reduce workload for drug-detection canines: "Well, it's a lighter work load for the drug sniffing dogs too, I think." The chief replied, "But they'll still find them. ... They're just gonna identify them with this."

The president called a roll call for the budget amendment. The transcript records the following responses: Ventrini — "Aye"; Anastasio — "Aye"; Karis — "Aye"; Bhatia — "Aye"; Doxey — "Aye"; De Groot — "Aye." The motion carried and the resolution passed.

No additional details about the vendor, model, delivery timeline or the exact budget amendment amount were provided in the transcript. The purchase was described as a budget amendment funded from the municipality's share of opioid-settlement proceeds.

Trustees noted the item had been discussed previously at the Committee of the Whole. The board did not attach conditions or amendments during the Sept. 22 vote.