State SMART team briefs county on opioid settlement buckets and allowable uses

UT Institute for Public Service SMART representatives gave a detailed briefing explaining how opioid settlement dollars flow to Tennessee and to counties over the coming 15–18 years. Jennifer Torvill explained that counties will receive a subdivision share (15% of the state’s set‑aside) that can be used for past or future remediation under a broad Exhibit E list of uses, and a separate set of abatement‑trust funds (a share of the state‑level pool) that must be allocated and spent on a shorter timetable with specific reporting requirements.

Torvill stressed that counties should avoid committing recurring expenditures beyond anticipated receipts because settlement payments will vary over time; she recommended setting up a local oversight board or opioid settlement board, using competitive community grants with quarterly reporting, and conducting needs‑and‑gap analyses to prioritize investments. "The key takeaways are, regardless of the bucket of money, it all has to be spent on opioid remediation programs," she said, and urged careful evaluation before committing funds.

Why it matters: Shelby County already has early receipts and will need governance, evaluation and reporting structures to allocate funds legally and effectively; improper uses risk clawback or return of funds to the state or overseers.