Genesee County staff report $7.2M opioid settlement account; Board conditionally approves Sheriff’s OverWatch pilot

Deputy Director Marlene Calic reported the county holds approximately $7.2 million in a separate opioid settlement revenue account and summarized current continuity funding for MAT services, Recovery Court and the RISE deputy court coordinator.

Calic asked the committee to consider a budget-adjustment request for $5,000 to fund outreach materials and planning for an Overdose Awareness event scheduled for Aug. 31. Because the meeting lacked quorum, Calic said she will consult higher authorities and corporation counsel about the allowability and timing of processing the request; no formal committee vote occurred.

Separately, Calic briefed members on an emergency request the Board of Commissioners recently reviewed from the Sheriff’s Office to pilot OverWatch wearable bands in the jail. She said the Board approved the pilot contingent on IT security sign-off and corporation counsel review of any contract. The items discussed included a purchase price roughly $158,000 for about 50 devices and an estimated $107,000 annual cost for the data/app service; Calic noted the draft agenda packet had indicated a three-year contract in places but the final contract term is still to be determined by counsel.

Members raised questions about data custody, IT security, and whether ongoing data-hosting costs would be an allowable charge against opioid settlement funds. Amy Delinki noted counties sometimes set aside emergency funds for time-sensitive requests; Calic said the Board currently hosts the emergency fund but the committee could propose a formal emergency reserve in the future.

Next steps: Calic will seek guidance from IT and corporation counsel on the OverWatch contract and advise the committee on allowable uses and any required procurement steps; she will also circulate the $5,000 outreach request for higher-authority guidance because the committee could not vote at this meeting.