Todd County reports $594,000 received so far from opioid settlements; local projects funded

County attorneys and public-health staff gave an overview of opioid settlement allocations and local spending. Attorneys explained the multi-wave settlement process: earlier agreements with distributors and Johnson & Johnson delivered $863,000 to Todd County, a second wave of retailer settlements contributed $702,000, and additional settlements with Purdue Pharma (Sackler family) and other manufacturers are still negotiating and may add further funds. As of the end of February the county has received about $594,000 of the expected total; county staff reported $160,000 spent and a current fund balance of roughly $403,000, while noting the required 7% reserve for litigation contingencies.

Staff emphasized that funds must be used for opioid-abatement activities (treatment, prevention, naloxone access, jail-based treatment, warm-hand-off programs, data collection and related activities). They said the county has funded eight projects in 2025, including peer-recovery supports in the jail, naloxone access expansion and license-plate-reader cameras for the Todd County Sheriff's Office. County staff noted both program successes and challenges, including geographic reach in a rural county and requests from outside organizations seeking seed funding; commissioners expressed support for careful stewardship of the dollars.