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Committee authorizes $10,000 annual stipend for DSS attorney to support Family Treatment Court, funded from opioid settlement dollars
Summary
The committee authorized a $10,000 annual stipend for DSS attorney Margaret McGannan to support Family Treatment Court duties, funded from county opioid settlement funds with an initial $5,000 requested in the current budget year; administrators gave ballpark numbers on settlement receipts and prior expenditures.
Saratoga County's Human Resources and Insurance committee approved a resolution authorizing an annual $10,000 stipend for the county's designated DSS attorney to support the Family Treatment Court.
Richard Maxwell presented the resolution and said the stipend would compensate specialized duties beyond ordinary DSS legal representation: "The requested stipend supports specialized opioid response function directly connected to treatment, access, recovery, family stabilization, and a multidisciplinary coordination for families affected by substance use disorder." Maxwell told the committee the role requires about 10 hours per week (roughly 500 hours annually).
The packet requests an annual stipend of $10,000 and notes that funding will begin July 3; for the current budget year the county would allocate $5,000. Maxwell said the stipend is meant to recognize expanded liaison and program development responsibilities rather than replace salaried DSS attorney duties.
Committee members asked about the county's opioid settlement fund balance. An administrator provided a ballpark summary, saying the county has received "well over $1.5 million" in settlement receipts and that the board has approved about $600,000–$700,000 in expenditures to date; the administrator said additional settlement payments are expected in future years and that the stipend resolution will remain in effect "as long as funds are available to the county." The committee approved the stipend authorization by voice vote.
The stipend is intended to support recovery-focused legal coordination tied to opioid remediation objectives; the committee did not provide a line-by-line funding schedule in the meeting transcript. For precise fund balances and budget details, consult county finance records.
