Barry County awards opioid‑settlement grants totaling $122,800 in 2026; county outlines reporting and partnership plan

Liz Lens presented the county’s current status for opioid‑settlement funds, describing a two‑round proposal process that produced five funded projects and a plan for public reporting.

Lens said Barry County awarded $15,000 in 2025 and $122,800 in 2026 through two proposal cycles. Projects target four broad areas identified through local needs assessments and partnership work: housing support (working with Barry County United Way), family and protective‑factor programming (with the county YMCA), supports for recovery (Barry County Serenity Club and Treatment Court), and transportation or training to build peer‑recovery capacity.

She told commissioners that award agreements are signed and that recipients have reporting requirements; the 2025 recipient will file a report soon and new recipients are expected to submit initial reports by October. The county will post the report and an earned‑funds dashboard on the Substance Abuse Task Force website and hopes to link it from the county site.

Commissioner questions and context: Commissioners asked how much remained in the settlement balance. The discussion indicated approximately $400,000 currently available in county funds and an expected total of about $1.5 million over the fund’s lifespan, though Lens said she did not have the precise remaining balance available at the meeting. Commissioners discussed specific program uses such as seed money for training peer recovery coaches and transport services.

Next steps: Lens asked commissioners to direct staff on website linking and to notify her if they did not receive the annual report. The county will continue routine reporting and will provide updates as funded projects submit their required reports.

Quotes from the meeting are taken verbatim from the transcript and attributable to Liz Lens and commissioners during the presentation.