Budget committee recommends paying for a $250,000 court program from opioid settlement money, not general fund

What happened

Auditor's office staff told the committee that the roughly $250,000 cost of Judge Ready's drug-treatment court program had been advertised out of both the county's general court budget and the opioid settlement fund, leaving the funding source undecided, and a committee member proposed advertising it as opioid-only so the county commissioners — not the budget committee — would make that call (1:02:08, 1:02:30); the committee then approved that recommendation on a voice vote (1:15:52). This is the second time this year the committee has revisited how to pay for the program: on August 12 it discussed shifting the cost to the county general fund because opioid settlement money is shrinking, and on August 24 it recommended keeping the cost on opioid funds instead and letting the commissioners make the final call (Aug. 12: program identified at about $250,000, funded from opioid settlement money).

The outcome

Approved on a voice vote as the committee's funding recommendation (1:15:52).

Sources

• Funding source options laid out, 1:02:08
• Committee member proposes the opioid-only path, 1:02:30
• Motion to fund from opioid, voice vote, 1:15:52
• Aug. 12: program identified at about $250,000, funded from opioid settlement money

Also known as: Judge Ready's program · opioid settlement fund · opioid fund budget · county general court budget · opioid money