Subcommittee moves to keep opioid settlement-funded programs at 2026 levels for 2027

The Dane County Opioid Settlement Subcommittee voted Aug. 3 to recommend that Health and Human Needs provide annualized funding to continue opioid settlement-funded programs in 2027, adopting an amendment to tie the 2027 recommendation to avoiding service disruption.

"Provide annualized funding to continue opioid settlement-funded programs in 2027 to avoid disruption of services," the committee adopted after an amendment was offered and carried by unanimous consent with abstentions noted. Members debated whether to simply "copy and paste" the 2026 budget lines or to base 2027 continuation on original allocations to avoid carryforward distortions.

Committee members who favored the amendment said the change better captures programs funded at different times and avoids disrupting ongoing services. Several members cautioned that any reallocation of funds must account for long-term sustainability: one member noted the settlement balance as of end of 2025 and the need to think about annualized dollars over the lifetime of the settlement.

The motion to recommend the amended language to the Health and Human Needs Committee carried. The committee recorded abstentions where members had financial or organizational conflicts on particular items; the action was advanced as a recommendation rather than an immediate county budgetary change.