Kuna police describe opioid-settlement spending: school programs, multimedia campaign and vape sensors funded

Mayor Joe Steer and Kuna police on Tuesday described how the city has spent opioid-settlement funds to support prevention and school programming.

Chief Mike Fortusco told the City Council that Kuna has prioritized educational and prevention efforts in partnership with the Kuna School District. "Since 2023, the city of Kuna has utilized the settlement funds towards mostly education," Fortusco said, listing guest speakers, school campaigns and other programs. He said the city funded a multimedia campaign at Kuna High School in 2025 for $17,525 and is adding vape sensors to Kuna Middle School in 2026 at a cost of $25,254.36.

The nut graf: council members asked how long the settlements will continue and what metrics the city uses. City Treasurer Jared Empey said the settlement payments began in 2022 and "could go until about 2037," and emphasized that the city handles the funds separately from the general fund.

Fortusco described the local decision process for spending: proposals originate with school staff or police school-resource officers, are routed through the mayor and treasurer, and are executed in coordination with school leaders. "What it is is we have to go to the mayor. We work with the city treasurer... the principals will come up with an idea," he said.

Council members pressed on measurement of effectiveness. Fortusco acknowledged the difficulty of measuring prevention outcomes directly but pointed to schools' engagement and a multi-year crime trend that he said is down as a possible, though not definitive, indicator: "Our three-year trend is going down every year," he told the council.

Treasurer Empey confirmed the city has focused much of the money on juvenile programs but said funds can be used for adult services if tied to opioid abatement goals. He also said the exact total Kuna will receive over time depends on state allocations and vendor settlements and that the city manages annual receipts on a year-by-year basis.

The council did not take formal action on spending at the meeting; Fortusco said staff would continue coordinating with the school district and other partners on future uses of the funds.