Regional opioid settlement plan presented; county fund holds $1.25 million

The Macon County Board of Commissioners heard a regional strategic-planning presentation May 14 on using opioid settlement funds, including survey and focus-group results and two funding-option pathways.

Russ Harris, executive director of the Southwestern Commission, walked the board through options labeled A and B and described prior outreach (surveys, focus groups, interviews) used to shape priorities and reporting requirements. Finance Director Lori Carpenter reported the county has received $1,214,904 in settlement funds, earned $35,560 in interest, and holds $1,250,464 in a special-revenue fund dedicated to opioid-related programs.

Stakeholders commenting at the meeting urged the county to focus on youth prevention. Elke Kennedy of Just Us Kids recommended targeting elementary-aged programs; Sheila Jenkins (No Wrong Door) described a Dogwood Health Trust grant opportunity (up to $300,000 per year for two years) that could fund a contract manager to improve real-time reporting and data quality, potentially making the county more competitive for additional grants.

Board direction: County manager recommended beginning internal discussions in July about selecting an option; no formal action was taken May 14 beyond receiving the report.

Why it matters: Settlement dollars are limited and require a strategy that balances prevention, treatment, data/reporting and interagency coordination; early choices will shape eligibility for other grants and program design.

What happens next: Staff and stakeholders will hold further conversations beginning in July about choosing a funding path and potential grant-funded support for data/reporting.

Provenance: Introduced at SEG 003 and discussed at SEG 003.