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Hopkinsville providers and residents urge council to form opioid advisory committee as $749,000 awaits distribution
Summary
Multiple treatment providers, social workers and program graduates urged the Hopkinsville City Council to create an opioid-settlement advisory committee to allocate roughly $749,000 the city is holding, citing rising overdoses and gaps in outpatient services.
More than a dozen Hopkinsville residents, treatment providers and program graduates used the council’s public-comment period on March 17 to urge the city to form an advisory committee to distribute opioid-settlement funds and expand treatment and recovery supports.
Christina Seekers, an alternative-sentencing social worker with the public defender’s office, told the council: "What I'm asking the city council to do is to set a opioid advisory committee for the funds that's been sent to the city of Hopkinsville." She cited public records she said show a payment of about $231,000 in December 2022 and that "as of the year 2024, that was over 475,000," and argued the money should be used so treatment facilities can accept referrals from jail and the community.
Why it matters: speakers said Hopkinsville faces frequent overdoses and lacks enough outpatient and transitional services to sustain recovery. Joanna Mack, executive director of Grace and Mercy, said her center provides long-term residential care and wraparound services but cannot expand without funding. Ashley Grill, program director at Redeemed and Restored, described the practical benefit of local funding: "This is gonna bring fathers and mothers home," she said, noting local programs can expand transitional housing and outpatient follow-up with more resources.
Several people who had gone through local programs described personal recovery stories to illustrate the point. "If we can release these funds to this committee and let it help save somebody's life, let's do it," said Jeff Stafford, outreach coordinator for Redeemed and Restored.
City response and next steps: the mayor said the issue is already on the agenda for the committee of the whole on Thursday and that finance staff will present more detailed information. Finance staff Melissa Clayton was cited as the presenter who will provide exact figures; the mayor told speakers the city is holding approximately $749,000 in opioid-settlement funds and that staff and the city attorney will advise on how those dollars can be distributed in compliance with legal guidelines.
What remains unresolved: petitioners asked that advisory boards include people in recovery and court-system representatives; they requested clear, community-informed eligibility and distribution criteria. Council members and staff said they will continue the discussion in the committee meeting and bring a specific proposal back to the council.
Provenance: The article summarizes public comments and staff responses delivered during the March 17, 2026 Hopkinsville City Council meeting (public-comment block starting SEG 056 through public comment close at SEG 571 and follow-up discussion SEG 1391–1451).
