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City, county, seek public input on how opioid settlement funding is spent
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How should millions in opioid dollars be spent?
It鈥檚 an enduring question after several settlements were reached with opioid manufacturers, sellers and other distributors in the past few years.
And now the public will get a chance to weigh in, at least in Bernalillo County.
The city and county announced Tuesday a series of town halls to gather public input for a plan on how to use the funding. Members of the public can provide comment at the meetings, which will be hosted by several county commissioners and city councilors.
That input will be used to create a report.
鈥淲e have an opportunity to make substantial investments into our systems for treating and educating about opioid use, and we want to do it right,鈥� said Gilbert Ramirez, director of the city鈥檚 Health, Housing and Homelessness department. 鈥淭hese listening sessions will offer an opportunity to gather valuable feedback, identify community priorities, and inform us as to where we can invest our resources to best support our impacted community.鈥�
The city and county both passed resolutions to create a joint spending plan for the opioid dollars. The two government entities are expecting more than $145 million in settlement money. But although the money will be received over several years, they are one-time dollars 鈥� so once the settlement is spent, it鈥檚 spent.
So far, Bernalillo County has received approximately $23.1 million in settlement dollars. The city of Albuquerque has received $27.6 million.
