Whitfield County OKs opioid-settlement funds to hire drug-abuse counselors shared with Murray County

Chairman Jevin Jensen and the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners on July 10 approved using opioid settlement proceeds to hire and equip certified drug-abuse counselors to serve Whitfield and Murray counties.

The motion, made by Commissioner Greg Jones and seconded by Commissioner Barry W. Robbins, passed 4-0. Commissioners said the funds derive from nationwide settlements with opioid manufacturers and retailers; the board’s action follows a memorandum of understanding between the State of Georgia, represented by Attorney General Chris Carr, and participating local governments that governs allocation, permissible uses and reporting requirements.

According to the motion, Murray County agreed to combine its opioid settlement allocation with Whitfield County’s funds to support the counselor positions. The item was described at the meeting as programmatic spending rather than a capital purchase; the board did not specify the exact number of counselor positions, annual operating cost, or the funding split between the two counties during the public meeting (those details were not specified in the minutes).

Supporters of the expenditure framed it as an expansion of behavioral-health capacity in the two-county region. There was no recorded public opposition during the hearing; no implementation timeline, hiring schedule, or department assigned to manage the positions was specified in the meeting record. The board’s motion carried with Commissioners Jones, Thomas, Staten and Robbins in agreement.

Next steps: the minutes note the approval but do not record an implementing agreement or the effective dates for hiring; the board did not set a reporting date for outcomes at this meeting.