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Catawba County authorizes multi-year opioid-settlement spending; integrates $777,980 into FY2025/26 budget
Summary
The Board unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing $1,328,733 in opioid-settlement strategies across multiple programs and integrated $777,980 of those funds into the FY2025/26 budget for initiatives including a program coordinator, jail treatment, a PORT team and a school resilience pilot.
The Catawba County Board of Commissioners on June 2 adopted a resolution directing expenditure of opioid settlement funds under the North Carolina Memoranda of Agreement (MOA). County Manager Mary S. Furtado presented the resolution; Vice-Chair Austin Allran moved for adoption and the motion passed unanimously.
The resolution lists four authorized strategies and dollar amounts: an Opioid/Substance Use Disorder Program Coordinator (resolution text lists $415,689 authorized through 6/30/2026), Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) in the county detention center ($200,000 authorized through 6/30/2026), a Community Paramedicine/PORT program (post-overdose response team) ($633,044 authorized through 6/30/2026), and a Newton-Conover City Schools School Resilience Pilot ($80,000 authorized through 6/30/2025). The resolution text states the total authorized across those strategies is $1,328,733.
Separately, the FY2025/26 Budget Ordinance appropriates $777,980 in Opioid Settlement funds for the fiscal year; the ordinance breaks that FY25/26 appropriation into $163,936 for a program coordinator position and related operating expenses, $180,000 for medically assisted treatment in the detention center, and $434,044 to fund a PORT follow-up program. The resolution and the budget both cite alignment with the NC MOA and specify reporting and period-of-allowability dates for each strategy.
Providers named in the resolution include Catawba County departments (Emergency Services/EMS for PORT, the Sheriff's Office and its contracted medical provider for MAT, and Newton-Conover City Schools for the school pilot). The resolution also records previous Board actions on these items and the MOA requirement that localities adopt a budget line or separate resolution to authorize opioid settlement expenditures.
Next steps identified in the resolution include implementing the funded programs consistent with the MOA and the stated time frames and reporting back as required.
