HOLLIDAYSBURG - Blair County commissioners are asking those interested in the county's spending of National Opioid Settlement dollars to attend a March 28 public meeting to provide input.
Commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling on Tuesday announced the settlement dollars as the second topic for a developing effort to provide county residents with a chance to offer input into county decisions.
Discussion and commentary on the subject will be scheduled at the end of the commissioners' 1 p.m. meeting.
Comments can also be submitted via email to publiccomment@blairco.org or by mail to the commissioners office in the courthouse, 423 Allegheny St., Hollidaysburg, PA 16648.
The commissioners' first discussion topic - recreational trails - was held Feb. 15 and drew at least 60 people plus written comments. Those attending urged commissioners to pursue additional trail development and trail connections. While commissioners subsequently talked about options, they have yet to take action.
As for the county's opioid settlement funds, commissioners have taken action in recent months to spend smaller amounts on drug education materials and more recently, equipment at the prison that will be used to distribute medication for treating inmates with drug addictions.
The bulk of the county's 2022-23 opioid settlement money, however, was allocated to cover Drug Court expenses, based on a vote commissioners cast March 14, the day before the March 15 deadline for submission of spending reports to the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust.
That report showed the county using $322,734 of its settlement dollars toward Drug Court expenses. That included $304,384 for employee salaries and benefits, $7,168 for half of the operational cost of the parole satellite building and $7,132 for drug testing kits, four cellphones and vehicle expenses.
During the March 12 commissioners meeting, Chief Clerk and County Administrator Nicole Hemminger identified Drug Court expenses as an allowable expense that can be covered with settlement money. At that same meeting, Finance Director Lindsay Dempsie presented the $322,734 figure which generated minimal public discussion among Commissioners Kessling, Amy Webster and Laura Burke.
In August 2022, when Webster, Burke and now former Commissioner Bruce Erb authorized the county's participation in the opioid settlement, they acknowledged what was expected to be forthcoming distributions stretching over 18 years.
They also spoke of moving slowly to allow time to gain a better understanding of the rules associated with spending. Based on the settlement, allocations can be used toward opioid use remediation that would include training, treatment, prevention, research and similar measures.
In an April 2023 meeting, commissioners also spoke of their interest in spending opioid settlement money on Medication-Assisted Treatment at the prison. That effort, aimed at making more medication options available to inmates with drug withdrawal symptoms and cravings, has been making headway.
Meanwhile, commissioners in Lancaster County recently discussed some options for use of their settlement dollars, including the acceptance of proposals from outside organizations.
York County already designated some of its settlement dollars to the county prison, as well as 11 other local organizations and specific efforts to combat drug addictions.
When members of the state Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust met in late November, they acknowledged that some counties continue to raise questions about how they're allowed to spend the money. One of the questions answered at that meeting was whether Clearfield County could use settlement funds to buy a drug-sniffing dog to check visitors arriving at the jail. The trust board said no after a discussion that focused on a desire to see the funds used to address drug addictions and less on law enforcement.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.