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Vernon County committee approves using opioid settlement funds for school prevention officer’s salary
Summary
The committee voted Oct. 8 to use opioid settling funds to cover a long-term salary for Officer Roesler to support school-based prevention, a move described by the sheriff as offsetting the tax levy; the vote was unanimous.
The Vernon County Opioid Prevention and Steering Committee voted Oct. 8 to use opioid-settlement funds to pay a long-term salary for Officer Roesler, a school-focused prevention officer, with committee members saying the move would sustain in-school outreach while reducing reliance on the tax levy.
Sheriff Roy Torgerson described the proposal as consistent with existing county school prevention work and said a neighboring county had funded a long-term officer similarly. "Sheriff Torgerson requests to use opioid funding for a long-term salary for Officer Roesler," the minutes record, framing the request as a way to maintain presence in all county schools. Administrative Coordinator Cassandra Hanan said she supported using opioid funding for education in schools, and Chair Martha Olson likewise voiced support.
Dr. Duane Koons moved to approve the funding and Kristina Reser-Jaynes seconded. The motion passed unanimously; the minutes state "All in favor. Motion carried unanimously," but do not list individual roll-call votes.
The minutes do not specify the salary amount, contract length or whether the funding is a one-time allocation or ongoing commitment. The committee’s opioid-settlement balance was reported at $364,894.02 during the same meeting.
Next steps listed in the minutes include implementing the approved funding; the minutes do not specify an implementation timeline or which department will administer the ongoing salary payments.
