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Alpha Ministries pitches regional opioid recovery support to Spencer County Fiscal Court
Summary
Alpha Ministries described a new 40-bed residential recovery center in Shepherdsville and asked Spencer County officials to consider investing opioid-settlement or other local funds. Court members asked legal and eligibility questions and declined an immediate funding decision pending attorney review of settlement rules.
Alpha Ministries presented a request to the Spencer County Fiscal Court on Feb. 17 to expand treatment and prevention services for people with opioid addiction, including residential care, intensive outpatient programs and family support services.
The presenter, identified in the record as the Alpha Ministries presenter, said the group recently opened a 40‑bed residential program in Shepherdsville and has a lease that begins March 1 after a soft opening. The presenter said the program currently houses five residents and employs three peer-support specialists. "We offer structured residential and outpatient programs that empower individuals to break the cycle of addiction," the presenter said, describing partnerships with Pastor James McFadden and Stacy Sylvester of the REACH program.
Why it matters: county officials have discretion over local opioid‑settlement expenditures but must follow state statutory limits and the settlement agreement. The court’s opioid-settlement adviser, Lauren Carr, was mentioned as the county contact who explains eligible uses under Kentucky law.
Court members pressed for clarification about permissible uses of opioid-settlement funds and possible reporting or advisory requirements. The chair told the presenter the court was not prepared to approve funding that night and said the county attorney should confirm whether the proposed uses—treatment expansion, prevention programs and transportation support—are allowable under the Kentucky statutory guidance referenced in the meeting (KRS). "We need to do some more research to make sure it qualifies," the chair said, adding that an advisory council likely will be necessary to manage long-term settlement proceeds.
Alpha Ministries offered to provide literature, program tours and a point of contact; the presenter gave a website (m3r.org) and said the organization would receive referrals from courts and jails in the region. "We're open to coming and presenting to your office and doing tours so you can see what we're doing," the presenter said.
What’s next: the court did not vote on a funding request. Officials asked staff and counsel to review settlement rules and report back; the presenter was invited to return with further materials if legal review shows the program is an eligible use of opioid funds.
Quotes used in this article are drawn from the meeting transcript and attributed to the presenter and court members as recorded.
