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Resident asks council to use opioid-settlement funds to buy chairs for recovery meetings
Summary
Shavon Young of Savage to Saint Ministries asked Poplar Bluff City Council to allocate under-$10,000 from opioid-settlement funds to buy 150 stackable chairs for Compass Recovery meetings; staff said the settlement money was deposited into the general fund and the council will need procedural follow-up.
Shavon Young, who identified herself as director of Savage to Saint Ministries Inc., urged the Poplar Bluff City Council to use opioid-settlement funds to buy 150 padded stackable chairs for Compass Recovery meetings. Young said the chairs would cost about $64 each (about $9,600 total) and that the group’s Saturday-night meetings have grown to about 100–121 attendees.
"The people of Poplar Bluff who are struggling with addiction have a place where they can go and see firsthand that families can be restored," Young said, describing meal and transportation support volunteers provide and noting the ministry’s program growth.
Council members asked for an invoice or quote and discussed procurement options. Assistant city manager Lori Phelps said the opioid-settlement receipts were deposited into the city’s general fund and that staff have not yet spent the funds; she did not state an exact account balance. Councilmember suggestions included checking lower-cost folding chairs (cited by a member at roughly $30 each) and requesting a formal quote from Young.
No formal council action or appropriation was taken at the meeting; staff said they would need to determine the appropriate procedural steps to expend opioid-settlement receipts if the council chooses to do so.
