Codington County Explores Community Approach for Opioid Settlement Funds
- Steve Jurrens
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - Codington County is moving forward with a collaborative, community-wide initiative to strategically allocate and utilize funds received from the national opioid settlement. The effort involves coordinating with the City of Watertown and local organizations to combat substance abuse and reduce criminal recidivism.
During a recent Codington County Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Gabel reported attending a preliminary meeting with city officials and local partners, including Sarah Foust and Angie Collignon, to discuss a unified approach to the opioid settlement funding.
The settlement funds are being disbursed to states, counties, and cities over approximately 18 years.
Coordinated Funding Strategy
Commissioner Gabel clarified after Commissioner Troy VanDusen’s inquiry that while both the City and County receive separate direct allocations from the settlement, forming a joint City-County committee would allow them to maximize their impact and strengthen applications for additional state-level grants, which are significantly larger.
The funds must be spent on initiatives directly related to addressing substance abuse, which includes reducing criminal justice-related problems and recidivism.
Current County Funds and Allocation Status
It was confirmed that the total amount currently held in the county's opioid fund.
It was noted that this amount is the current total before any allocation. The board had previously received a presentation from the Human Service Agency (HSA) for a $35,000 allocation to its MAP program, but has not yet formally voted on the disbursement. These funds are anticipated to be used for resources such as technology to monitor vital signs for individuals in the new jail dealing with substance abuse issues or withdrawals.
The potential for semi-formalizing the joint city-county committee is currently under discussion.
