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Thurston County to administer pooled opioid-settlement funds under amended interlocal agreement
Summary
County staff told commissioners the amended Opioid Abatement Council interlocal agreement allows pooling of settlement funds, designates Thurston County as administrator of pooled funds, and will begin RFP-driven distributions after cities finalize transfers; commissioners noted set-asides for existing obligations (e.g., jail $800,000).
Thurston County public-health staff asked the Board of County Commissioners on March 24 to approve an amended and restated interlocal agreement (ILA) formalizing the Opioid Abatement Council (OAC) as an independent subcommittee and enabling jurisdictions to pool opioid-settlement dollars. The amended ILA designates Thurston County as the administrator of pooled funds and establishes a funding-approval process and shared budget structure.
Jen Fry, director of public health and social services, summarized the timeline: the board approved a resolution of intent to form the OAC on Nov. 4, directed staff to draft findings on Jan. 20, adopted the findings on Feb. 3, and mailed ballots to property owners Feb. 17; ballots were counted in this room on March 12, indicating majority support to form LMD number 26 (this matter is separate from the OAC ILA). She said cities have signed the amended ILA in March—Lacey and Olympia on March 10 and Tumwater on March 17—and the county would be the final signer, allowing pooled funds to begin flowing.
Fry told the board the pooled approach is intended to maximize regional impact. She said staff expect to discuss the amounts each city will contribute at the next OAC meeting in April, after which the county will administratively pull pooled funds and solicit proposals through an RFP process to fund community programs. Commissioners asked about using funds to meet existing county obligations; Fry confirmed the board previously set aside amounts to address current county needs, citing $800,000 earmarked for the jail and $200,000 for an administrative-services organization (ASO) as examples already distributed.
Staff stressed that final spending recommendations from the OAC would come back to the board for review and vote, and that RFPs are expected to solicit innovative community proposals. Commissioners also discussed alignment with the county’s opioid-response plan and whether existing regional programs (for example, Medic One’s opioid-response model) might apply; staff said any entity could apply via the RFP process.
The agenda-setting transcript records discussion and direction; no final board vote on the amended ILA is recorded in the March 24 session.
