CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY SIXTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-25-128 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Tammy Fiebelkorn, Renée Grout, Nichole Rogers and Dan Champine
RESOLUTION
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Approving And Adopting The Local Government Coordinating Commission Joint Opioid Settlement Implementation Plan; And Appropriating Opioid Settlement Funds (Fiebelkorn, Grout, Rogers and Champine)
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APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COORDINATING COMMISSION JOINT OPIOID SETTLEMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN; AND APPROPRIATING OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS.
WHEREAS, the County of Bernalillo (“County”) and City of Albuquerque (“City”) each participated in litigation against pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and retailers seeking compensation for the harm done as a result of the opioid epidemic; and
WHEREAS, that litigation resulted in settlement agreements under which the City and the County are to receive both lump sum and ongoing annual payments; and
WHEREAS, the City and the County have already begun receiving funds through those settlement agreements, and will continue to receive payments over the next 15 years (“Opioid Settlement Funds”), as outlined in the Settlement Distribution Schedule attached as Exhibit A in Attachment 1; and
WHEREAS the City and the County anticipate receiving approximately $150 million in Opioid Settlement Funds, in total; and
WHEREAS, the Opioid Settlement Funds are the direct result of harm perpetrated on our community by drug manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and other parties; and
WHEREAS, in October 2023, the City Council adopted R-23-174 wherein the City and County committed to combining opioid settlement resources and planning to further strengthen our ability to meet the biggest opioid use disorder needs in our community while avoiding duplication of effort and building a strong and coordinated support network; and
WHEREAS, the City and County engaged Vital Strategies to develop a strategic plan for the use of Opioid Settlement Funds; and
WHEREAS, on October 16, 2024, Vital Strategies provided a comprehensive report for the County and the City to develop a focused expenditure plan for the Opioid Settlement Funds, which is attached as Exhibit B in Attachment 1; and
WHEREAS, Albuquerque Public Schools (“APS”) prepared a report of Substance Use/Misuse Prevention and Intervention Programs and Curriculum SY 24-25 and Funding Proposal, which is attached as Exhibit C in Attachment 1; and
WHEREAS, the Local Government Coordinating Commission (“LGCC”) has developed a Joint Opioid Settlement Implementation Plan: Policy Guidance for Strategic Implementation (“Implementation Plan”) that outlines its recommendations, which is attached as Attachment 1; and
WHEREAS, the LGCC reviewed Vital Strategies’ analysis and recommended eight (8) categories for the City, County, and APS to target the Opioid Settlement Funds:
(1) Connecting Disconnected Youth (Vital Strategies Strategic Priority Recommendation 17)
(2) Comprehensive Education (Vital Strategies Strategic Priority Recommendation 16)
(3) Peer Support Expansion (Vital Strategies Strategic Priority Recommendation 27)
(4) Recovery Housing (Vital Strategies Strategic Priority Recommendation 25)
(5) Community-Based Treatment Access and Quality (Vital Strategies Strategic Priority Recommendation 23)
(6) Leveraging the Sobering Center (Vital Strategies Strategic Priority Recommendation 15)
(7) Naloxone Access Expansion (Vital Strategies Strategic Priority Recommendation 19)
(8) Expand Mobile Crisis Response Services (Vital Strategies Strategic Priority Recommendation 13)
WHEREAS, the LGCC recommends the Implementation Plan be adopted and implemented by the Albuquerque City Council, Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners, and APS Board of Education; and
WHEREAS, the Implementation Plan will provide guidance to the City and County so they may direct the expenditures of Opioid Settlement Funds towards priorities that will alleviate the impact of the opioid epidemic; and
WHEREAS, R-23-174 requires City Council approval for all Opioid Settlement Fund appropriations (Fund 201).
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The City of Albuquerque hereby approves the Joint Opioid Settlement Implementation Plan recommendations from the Local Government Coordinating Commission, as attached hereto as Attachment 1. The Bernalillo County Commission and the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education are encouraged to adopt the Implementation Plan.
SECTION 2. The Joint Opioid Settlement Implementation Plan is hereby adopted by the City of Albuquerque and shall govern the use of Opioid Settlement Funds in conjunction with the provisions of R-23-174, Establishing a Policy for the Expenditure of Opioid Settlement Monies. This Implementation Plan is attached hereto as Attachment 2.
SECTION 3. PROGRAMMING. The departments of Finance and Administrative Services and Health, Housing, and Homelessness (HHH) shall create two programs within Fund 201, consistent with the recommendations adopted in the Joint Opioid Settlement Implementation Plan, as follows:
Capacity and Sustainability
Provider Program
SECTION 4. The following amounts are hereby appropriated to the following programs:
LG Abatement Fund 201
Health, Housing, and Homelessness
Capacity and Sustainability 2,000,000
These funds are designated to provide one-time, non-recurring funding to support the growth, training, and long-term viability of small and medium-sized service providers addressing the opioid crisis, ensuring sustainable service delivery beyond the duration of settlement funding.
Provider Program 10,000,000
These funds are designated to establish a competitive grant process to fund shovel-ready capital projects and services for nonprofit service providers, prioritizing facility expansion and infrastructure improvements that enhance the capacity and sustainability of opioid-related treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services; and requiring that the grant program be jointly managed by the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County to ensure a coordinated, equitable, and efficient funding process, and avoid duplication.
SECTION 5. HHH shall enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Albuquerque Public Schools to provide $1.8 million dollars from the LG Abatement Fund 201, consistent with the recommendations adopted in the Joint Opioid Settlement Implementation plan, for expansion of the Crossroads program.
SECTION 6. COMPILATION. Attachment 2, the Joint Opioid Settlement Implementation Plan, shall be compiled as a new Article 8 in Chapter 4 of the Code of Resolutions of Albuquerque, New Mexico, titled “Joint Opioid Settlement Implementation Plan.”
SECTION 7. SEVERABILITY. If any section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word or phrase of this Resolution is for any reason held to be invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Resolution. The Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Resolution and each section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word or phrase thereof irrespective of any provision being declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid.
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