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Revised Resolution - Opioid Settlement Spending Plan (FY2027-FY2030)
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INFORMATION CONTACT:
Patrick Niland, County Manager’s Office, Deputy County Manager, 704-283-3630
ACTION REQUESTED:
1) Adopt the Revised Resolution by the Union County Board of Commissioners to Direct the Expenditure of Opioid Settlement Funds for FY2027-FY2030; and 2) adopt Special Revenue Ordinance 78C; and 3) authorize the County Manager to negotiate and execute agreements and related documents consistent with this agenda item and the approved Opioid Settlement Spending Plan.
PRIOR BOARD ACTIONS:
1) June 19, 2023, Regular Meeting, Agenda Item #23-367 - Board approval of the first phase of opioid settlement funding.
2) March 4, 2024, Regular Meeting - Board adoption of a resolution authorizing the expenditure of $2,724,783 in Opioid Settlement Funds to support eight strategies from the Memorandum of Agreement Between the State of North Carolina and Local Governments on Proceeds Relating to the Settlement of Opioid Litigation.
3) April 20, 2026, Regular Meeting - Board endorsement of funding recommendations for the FY2027-FY2030 Opioid Settlement Spending Plan.
4) May 4, 2026, Regular Meeting, Agenda Item #26-263 - Board adoption of the Resolution to Direct the Expenditure of Opioid Settlement Funds for FY2027-FY2030.
BACKGROUND:
North Carolina participated in the national opioid settlements, and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) and the North Carolina Department of Justice (NCDOJ) partnered to help ensure settlement proceeds are distributed to local jurisdictions for programs and services that directly benefit individuals and communities most impacted by the opioid epidemic.
Union County entered into Memorandums of Agreement with the State of North Carolina governing both the amount of settlement funding to be received and the allowable uses of those funds. These agreements also establish the framework for how North Carolina and participating local governments will use proceeds from future national settlements or bankruptcy resolutions involving opioid manufacturers, distributors, and related entities.
Union County is expected to receive approximately $17.7 million in Opioid Settlement Funds to be distributed between 2022 and 2038. Under the terms of the Memorandum of Agreement, local governments are required to authorize the expenditure of Opioid Settlement Funds through a budget item or resolution that identifies the amount authorized, the applicable strategy or strategies, and the period during which the expenditure may occur.
On May 4, 2026, the Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution authorizing the expenditure of Opioid Settlement Funds for the FY2027-FY2030 funding period. As part of the County’s ongoing review and stewardship of these funds, staff identified previously authorized funding that remained unexpended and/or unobligated, as well as minor clerical corrections needed to certain line-item and total authorization amounts. The Revised Resolution allows the County to carry forward the available funding for continued opioid settlement-related purposes in the next funding cycle and updates the total authorization for the FY2027-FY2030 funding period to $7,020,951.
The Revised Resolution supersedes the May 4, 2026, Resolution and authorizes the expenditure of Opioid Settlement Funds in accordance with the attached Appendix and approved spending plan.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The Revised Resolution authorizes the expenditure of $7,020,951 in Opioid Settlement Funds for the FY2027-FY2030 funding period. This amount includes any remaining naloxone-related funding previously authorized under the first Opioid Settlement Spending Plan that is unexpended and/or unobligated as of June 30, 2026, and reauthorized under Exhibit A.7, Naloxone Distribution. Any such remaining funds are included within, and are not in addition to, the $140,000 authorized for Exhibit A.7.