Auburn council seeks framework for allocating opioid settlement funds; staff recommends evidence-based rubric

Mr. Holmes briefed the council on Auburn27s opioid settlement funds history and asked for direction on an allocation process. He said Auburn began collecting data in 2018 in connection with pharmaceutical litigation and receives two streams: funds the city receives directly and funds distributed through the state MOU. He reported the city now has a meaningful balance (presentations characterized the available starting allocation as just under $700,000 accrued to date) and can consider launching multi-year pilot programs rather than one-off expenditures.

Holmes recommended that the council adopt evaluation criteria that ensure compliance with national and state requirements for allowable uses (intervention, prevention and related services), that staff vet applications for technical compliance and that council consider multi-year awards to provide programs time to demonstrate impact. He cautioned that citizen advisory committees can create conflicts if applicants sit on review panels and that staff-based screening tied to clear criteria is a straightforward alternative.

Councilors broadly supported a rubric tied to evidence-based programming and state/national criteria, suggested timing requests during the annual budget cycle for sustainability consideration, and asked staff to return with recommended language for an application and review process. Several councilors emphasized assessment and monitoring requirements and asked for a scoring rubric to compare proposals consistently.

Ending: The manager will circulate the state MOU guidance and staff will return with proposed evaluation criteria and a recommended process; the council intends to discuss three preliminary proposals at a future workshop after reviewing the guidance.