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Commissioners reopen discussion on Openwood opioid settlement spending plan after state distribution
Summary
Board discussed a proposal to allocate Oak/Openwood opioid settlement funds after receiving state distributions ($42,387.49 restricted; $4,654.66 unrestricted) and agreed to circulate a spending plan to towns and legal counsel for further review.
County staff reintroduced the Openwood opioid-settlement spending plan at the Aug. 3 meeting, noting two buckets of funds: a restricted abatement share and an unrestricted share. The county recently received its August 2026 distributions: $42,387.49 restricted abatement and $4,654.66 unrestricted, and staff said unrestricted funds are especially limited.
A commissioner noted prior conversations with local towns who are uncertain about allowing the county to spend restricted funds on their behalf. The presenter said some previously contemplated uses—such as a mental-health facility—are now addressed by the Addiction Recovery Center, leaving the county to consider alternative abatement and treatment spending. “I put a proposal together back in March… I will recirculate this proposal… to the commissioners and to legal counsel,” the presenter said.
Commissioners directed staff to re-circulate the proposal to fellow commissioners and legal counsel, consider whether to circulate to towns for comment, and retain the item on the old-business list for further deliberation.
