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Council seeks regional approach for $200,000 opioid‑settlement tranche
Summary
City staff told council the first opioid‑settlement tranche is roughly $200,000 and asked for direction; members favored forming a committee and coordinating with county and neighboring cities to seed a crisis‑intervention program and shared services.
City staff (S2) told the council that Charles Town’s initial opioid‑settlement payment is about $200,000 and asked for guidance on distribution. Members proposed partnering with Jefferson County and neighboring municipalities to leverage larger county funds and to seed a crisis‑intervention worker or on‑call team so that mental‑health professionals — not police — are first responders to behavioral‑health or addiction crises.
One council member described the model they prefer: a mental‑health professional first on scene to divert people from emergency rooms and provide follow‑up services. As one member put it, that person would be “the first person that’s called as opposed to law enforcement.” Council agreed to form a committee to meet with the county, explore partnership models and return with recommendations and implementation options, recognizing the city’s tranche is a seed amount relative to anticipated county resources.
Why it matters: opioid‑settlement funds are flexible but time‑sensitive; coordinating across jurisdictions could multiply impact and support 24/7 crisis intervention that reduces police time on non‑criminal behavioral‑health calls.
