Halifax commissioners direct staff to review $112,000 opioid‑settlement gap funding request for HARC recovery court

Judge Teresa Freeman asked the Halifax County Board of Commissioners on behalf of the Halifax Accountability and Recovery Court (HARC) for an amended allocation of $112,000 to cover one fiscal year, July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027, so the program can continue while a state grant that has supported the court lapses.

The funding request followed Freeman’s explanation that HARC had been operating from a $500,000 state grant scheduled to expire June 30, 2026, and that continued state budget action remains uncertain. Freeman told commissioners the program currently serves 10 active participants and has a waiting list; without interim funding, “we will have to drop those participants who are in the middle of their recovery,” she said.

County Attorney Tony Rollins advised that the county must follow the memorandum of agreement that governs how opioid settlement funds may be used and said some activities are fundable under “option A” now while other items require fuller strategic planning under “option B.” Rollins recommended that staff and the newly hired opioid settlement coordinator (Dr. Georgiana Cowden) review the revised proposal and return to the board with a compliant spending plan. District Attorney Kim Verrier Scott and Superior Court Judge Brenda Branch also spoke in support of HARC’s outcomes and urged the board to help bridge what Freeman described as a funding gap while the state budget remains unsettled.

Following discussion about allowable expenditures and other pending grant applications, commissioners gave staff a collective signal to proceed: several commissioners indicated full support for staff to coordinate with Judge Freeman and the opioid settlement coordinator and to bring back a proposed amendment to the county’s settlement project ordinance for board action. No final appropriation was adopted at the meeting; the board asked staff to return with a staff‑vetted proposal shortly so that any authorization could be in place before July 1.

What happens next: Staff will review the HARC request against the memorandum of agreement and state guidance, prepare the settlement project ordinance amendment if the proposed uses are allowable, and present a recommendation to the board for formal action. The county manager and county attorney said they expect to bring a vetted proposal back within about a week.

Quotes (from the meeting transcript): “We are hereby requesting an amended amount of $112,000 for 1 fiscal year that would begin 07/01/2026 through 06/30/2027,” Judge Teresa Freeman said. Attorney Rollins cautioned that “there are certain things that cannot be funded with the opioid settlement funds, and there are certain things that can,” and recommended staff “consider this application for funds” and return to the board with a compliant plan.

Authorities cited in the meeting: memorandum of agreement governing opioid settlement funds (referenced by attorney Rollins).