Utah County officials present joint plan to spend opioid settlement payments

Ben Vanoy, deputy county attorney, presented a joint proposal developed by Wasatch Behavioral Health, the Utah County Health Department and the sheriff’s office to allocate the county’s opioid settlement payments. Vanoy said the first-year departmental requests total about $1,767,000, under an anticipated first-year net payment of roughly $1.9 million after attorneys’ fees, and that the plan follows the settlement’s approved uses.

The proposal, color-coded by department, was intended as a starting point for collaboration, Vanoy said, and the working group expects to adjust allocations year to year. "What you have before you...is that joint proposal," he told commissioners, noting the group had aligned its requests with recommendations recently provided by Utah State Extension specialists.

Commissioners focused on the programmatic trade-offs if the county smooths the money over the anticipated 18 payments versus spending more in the first year. Commissioner (Speaker 2) pressed presenters to distinguish one-time startup costs from ongoing service expenses; Vanoy and departmental representatives identified roughly $150,000–$170,000 of one-time startup spending proposed in the sheriff’s request and characterized most Wasatch and health-department line items as ongoing services that could be scaled to fit lower future payments.

Jurgen (Wasatch representative) and Lieutenant Rice (sheriff’s office) said the working group planned to take larger proportional cuts in other programs rather than ask UCAP (sheriff program) to absorb increased cuts in subsequent years. The presenters also noted a 20% backstop fund that may be recovered in future years and redistributed to offset reductions.

Commissioners asked for follow-up materials including: a multi-year projection showing one-time versus ongoing costs; scenarios that stagger new hires and startup spending to stretch funding; and a plan for how returned 20% funds would be allocated. Vanoy said the group would return with an adjusted proposal showing several-year projections and how departments would reduce service levels if receipts fall.

The presentation was advisory; no formal allocation vote was taken at this meeting. The work group indicated it will update the commissioners with a finalized resolution for approval once projections and internal adjustments are completed.