Van Buren County reallocates opioid-abatement funds to prevention coalition and DARE program

The Van Buren County Commission on the public agenda approved multiple reallocations from its opioid-abatement fund to support local prevention and law-enforcement programs.

Kale Crane moved to transfer $22,100 from opioid-abatement funds to the Van Buren County Prevention Coalition to fund a community outreach coordinator; the motion was seconded by Terry Hickey and approved by roll call (all voting yes). Crane then moved $1,500 to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department for the DARE program; that motion also passed by unanimous roll call.

Later in the meeting finance staff explained a separate-but-related motion to move $27,758.69 from the fund balance into the opioid cost center so the county could pay the prevention coalition and the sheriff’s department as requested. Commissioners approved that transfer by roll call.

Commissioners framed the expenditures as continuing county efforts to use opioid-abatement monies for local prevention and youth-education initiatives. No opposition to the specific allocations was recorded in the minutes.

Next steps: the prevention coalition and sheriff’s office will proceed with hires and program spending under the approved line items; the county clerk recorded the roll calls for each motion.