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Adams County committee recommends $125,000 for jail navigation program, approves a slate of opioid-settlement grants
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Summary
A JERAC subcommittee recommended using opioid-settlement funds to support local treatment and reentry services, including $125,000 for Project Connect (split 50/50 now and on next draw), and smaller awards to behavioral-health and recovery programs; commissioners accepted the recommendations.
A local JERAC (Joint Effort for Recovery and Community) subcommittee recommended a package of awards from Adams County's opioid-settlement funds and the Board of Commissioners voted to accept the panel’s list of recommendations.
Ian (subcommittee lead) told commissioners the group reviewed applicants at two meetings and assessed how each program would serve county residents. He said the committee recommended full funding for Project Connect’s jail navigation program at $125,000 for calendar year 2026, but recommended paying half now and the remainder after the county receives its next settlement draw to avoid overdrawing the unrestricted account.
Ian summarized other recommended awards: $22,500 to Adams Behavioral Health for in-jail therapy continuity, $19,875 to the Bowen Center for skills coaching, $11,250 to Margie’s Place (a mothers’ home), $11,250 to Renovate Counseling Services LLC for counseling scholarships, $40,000 to Crossroads Community to expand a supervised recovery home, and smaller amounts for local prevention and support programs including McMillan Health Center and North Adams’ DARE program.
Sheriff’s office and other committee members emphasized the programs are complementary: Project Connect provides case navigation and reentry help but does not replace licensed mental-health therapists brought in by Adams Behavioral Health, the sheriff said.
Commissioner Stan moved to accept the committee’s recommendations and the board seconded the motion. Commissioners agreed the Project Connect allocation should be split 50% now and 50% upon receipt of the county’s 2026 opioid settlement draw. One commissioner offered to abstain from votes where they had a conflict of interest arising from outside-board affiliations; no roll-call irregularity was recorded in the transcript.
The commissioners noted that settlement payments taper in later years and warned that similar levels of funding are unlikely in the future, meaning programs must plan for smaller, more competitive funding streams.
What happens next: the board approved the committee’s recommendations and directed staff to track distributions; no further county-level appropriation details were included in the meeting record. Future disbursements will depend on subsequent opioid-settlement draws and any additional county budgeting decisions.
