Jefferson County panel debates using opioid settlement funds for ambulance radios, sober-living repairs and prevention programs

At a Jefferson County opioid settlement committee meeting, members discussed how to spend settlement dollars, including a request to buy radios for the county ambulance service, a proposal to renovate county-owned Jackson Point for sober-living housing and several prevention and training programs. No formal motion or vote was taken.

"I asked the Board of Supervisors to delay making a decision on that until I'm going to start participating in the government practice committee that the AG's office has," Speaker 2 said, explaining they want to learn how peer counties allocate opioid settlement monies before authorizing a local expenditure for radios. The committee agreed to place opioid settlement items on the government practice committee agenda for further guidance.

Why it matters: committee members said the county currently holds what they estimated as "upward between 250 and $300,000" in settlement funds but does not know the final amount or the multi-year schedule of payments. That uncertainty, along with restrictions on permissible uses, has shaped a cautious approach to larger expenditures.

Discussion highlights: Several participants said the ambulance director requested a small number of radios and related equipment, estimated informally at about $10,000, but county emergency management typically handles radio procurement and state 911 funding cuts have reduced a reliable funding source. "Brett from emergency management generally does all the radios," one participant said, noting state-level reductions in radio funding.

At the same time, members discussed Jackson Point, a county-owned property with multiple units some participants described as uninhabitable. "Elizabeth Lee said there are four units, five units out there that are not inhabitable that need fixed," Speaker 3 reported. Speaker 2 said repairing one building for sober-living occupancy and using settlement funds for renovations and ongoing support is a possibility, while acknowledging the county would need oversight plans and service partners to operate a nonmedical supportive residence.

Harm-reduction and prevention ideas also drew attention. Participants mentioned Narcan dispensers or repurposed vending machines to distribute free naloxone, expanding Strengthening Families programming for 10'14-year-olds, and piloting peer-support models such as Criminal Anonymous (CA), a program some described as modeled on AA/NA for people involved in criminal activity who want to change their behavior. A participant representing EMS said broad naloxone availability has led to fewer overdose deaths locally.

Legal constraints and past spending: a committee member said the state still classifies fentanyl test strips as paraphernalia, limiting the county's ability to buy them with settlement funds. Participants also listed prior, smaller expenditures from the fund, including a community event (estimated at $10,000'$14,000), school program support and training; they said the county gave about $10,000 to Iowa State University to support local facilitator training and paid a few thousand dollars to a library project.

Next steps: Speaker 2 said they will attend the Attorney General's government practice committee meeting to get examples from other counties and double-check whether the ambulance radio request is an allowable use; the group set its next meeting for Nov. 18 at 8:30 a.m. The committee did not take a formal vote on any item during the session.

The meeting closed with thanks to attendees and no additional formal actions recorded.