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County staff say parts of HARC/HEART budget may not qualify for opioid-settlement funds; meetings planned to clarify
Summary
The county's opioid settlement coordinator reported that some requested HARC/HEART budget items do not align with the settlement memorandum of agreement (MOA); staff and the county attorney will meet with Judge Freeman and program leaders to define qualifiers and identify which supports might be eligible before June 30.
The county's opioid settlement coordinator provided an update on a budget request from the HEART/HARC program and the possible use of opioid-settlement funds.
The coordinator said staff reviewed the proposed HARC budget against the settlement memorandum of agreement and found that some line items—specifically collaborative strategic planning and reentry programming—do not align with the MOA because the county currently can only consider "option A" strategies. The coordinator added that not all HARC participants have an opioid-use disorder (OUD), which raises qualification issues for applying opioid-settlement funds to some participant supports.
County attorney Glenn Rollins and county management will meet with Judge Freeman and the HARC coordinator to clarify specific line items, operational processes, collaborative partnerships and plans to address funding gaps. The coordinator said once it is determined the HEART program can be sustained beyond June 30 and qualifiers can be established and maintained, some participant-support items could be funded with settlement funds.
Commissioners pressed staff for more precise numbers and suggested the matter will require additional meetings; staff said they will report back after discussions with the judge, the HEART coordinator and other stakeholders. No final funding decision was made at the meeting.
