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Berkeley County approves $707,968 in opioid settlement grants to nine local organizations; council requests oversight details
Summary
The county approved $707,968.64 in South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund awards to nine local nonprofits and the solicitors office, while council members pressed staff for records, audits, and clarity on how prior recipients spent earlier awards.
Berkeley County Council approved distribution of $707,968.64 in opioid settlement (SCORF) funds to nine local organizations and the solicitors office, but several council members pressed staff for more oversight information and spending documentation before future disbursements.
Miss Lachelle Brown read the recommended awards for council approval: Berkeley County Coroner $100,000; Wake Up Carolina $100,000; Remnant House Outreach Ministries $80,007.55; Ernest E. Kennedy Center $80,007.54; Favor Lowcountry $80,007.54; Kay Phillips Child Advocacy Center $80,007.54; Fairhaven Home for Men $80,007.54; Change Life Ministries $74,990; and Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office $29,204. Brown said the SCORF board approved the total amount and described the recipients as repeat recipients; she said recipients submit yearly reports to SCORF and county staff can provide additional documentation.
Council members asked whether county staff or council routinely audits how recipients spend awarded funds; Brown said the county submits reports to the SCORF board and can perform internal audits to verify expenditures are consistent with applications. One member requested a multi‑year list of applicants and awards and asked for verification reports showing how prior recipients spent funds.
Berkeley County’s coroner (unnamed in the transcript) described operational benefits of the funding: the allocation allows more toxicology testing and faster turnaround by enabling use of private labs rather than SLED, reducing result times from months to about a month or less. The coroner said autopsy and toxicology testing costs for county cases are approximately $1,800 each; a private autopsy for a family can cost about $5,000.
Council approved the recommended allocations by voice vote after asking staff to provide prior award amounts, audit reports for repeat recipients, and a plan for monitoring how funds are used.
Next steps: staff agreed to provide past award amounts and documentation of how recipients expended funds; several organizations were scheduled to participate in an opioid awareness day and could be observed by council members.
