 - Fremont County officials are working to establish a process for distributing more than $1.1 million in opioid settlement funds.){kind=link}
(Lander, WY) – Fremont County officials are working to establish a process for distributing more than $1.1 million in opioid settlement funds.
The settlement funds have been accumulating since around 2022, when Treatment Courts Director Cassie Murray said Fremont County received about $24,335 from the National Opioid Abatement Trust.
In subsequent years, Murray said additional settlement money has arrived in “bits and pieces” as “new settlements are created” and “we’re notified of funding.”
In 2024, for example, she said Fremont County received $541,650 in settlement money, bringing the total in the local opioid settlement fund to its current amount – almost $1.1 million.
The settlement money must be spent on prevention or abatement of opioid use, Murray said.
Priorities
Fremont County hasn’t spent any of its opioid settlement money yet, Murray told the Fremont County Commission during a meeting this week, but “we’ve had numerous organizations and people reach out to us” to request some of the funding.
That’s why she asked to meet with the Commission, she explained.
“(We want) to discuss … what your priorities are,” Murray said. “Does that (money) go to anybody who asks for it? Does it go to nonprofits? Does it go to private agencies? Does it go to law enforcement only? Does it only go to Fremont County government agencies? … We’re asking for some clarification to make sure that we’re following what the Commission’s desire is in relation to that.”
Commissioner Clarence Thomas suggested the county set up a committee to recommend funding distributions for the opioid settlement money – similar to the committee that was formed to recommend funding distributions for Fremont County’s optional half percent sales tax for economic development.
“I like (that) idea,” Commissioner Larry Allen said, offering to serve as a liaison between the Commission and the local opioid work group Murray has been working with, which includes professionals involved in prevention, public health, treatment, and law enforcement. “We’ll get together and … we’ll move forward and maybe come up with some recommendations.”
For more information, call (307) 332-1130.