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Adams County advisory committee recommends opioid‑settlement grants and initial funding for reentry program
Summary
A JRAC steering committee recommended using opioid‑settlement funds to support a county reentry program (recommended $100,000–$125,000 toward IRACS/Hyrax), $5,000 to Crossroads Community Recovery Housing, $10,142.46 to Adams Memorial Behavioral Health, and $21,762.50 to North Adams Community Schools for a D.A.R.E. officer; the council approved forwarding recommendations to commissioners with appropriations to follow.
An advisory committee that screens opioid‑settlement applications recommended that Adams County use restricted settlement funds for several programs and forwarded those recommendations to the council. The committee proposed allocating up to $100,000–$125,000 from settlement money to help fund the initial phase of a reentry program (referred to in the meeting as IRACS or Hyrax), which the sheriff’s office and local courts plan to operate. The committee also recommended $5,000 for Crossroads Community Recovery Housing to assist recently incarcerated people with rent as they secure employment; $10,142.46 for Adams Memorial Behavioral Health to expand access to substance‑use and mental‑health treatment for uninsured residents; and $21,762.50 to North Adams Community Schools to start and train an officer for a D.A.R.E.‑style prevention program.
Committee members described the process: they reviewed four grant applications and prioritized projects that fit the restricted‑fund categories in the attorney general’s guidance. A June 4 snapshot presented in the meeting showed approximately $202,594.46 in the restricted fund and $110,938.86 in unrestricted funds; the Purdue settlement was noted to yield an annual structured payment in the neighborhood of $30,000–$36,000 through 2038.
Speakers said the committee imposed conditions before releasing funds in prior awards: for example, Crossroads had to demonstrate a house for clients before receiving payment and grant payments were sometimes staged (an initial payment after proof of program readiness and a follow‑up payment later). The advisory committee asked the council to approve the recommended uses and to forward them to the county commissioners for appropriation; council members moved, seconded and carried the motion by voice vote but noted that formal appropriation would require advertisement and a later commissioners’ vote.
What happens next: The council approved forwarding the recommendations; final appropriation of settlement funds will require advertised action and formal approval by the county commissioners at a subsequent meeting.
