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34 <br /> Commissioner Hamilton said she would like to have an analysis from the experts about <br /> what is safe in terms of a one-story or two-story facility. <br /> Commissioner Fowler said she was asking about why it had changed. <br /> Commissioner Richards said this is an important opportunity to get it right. She said she <br /> hopes the facility won't be force fitted to this site. She said that was why she asked how many <br /> sites were included. <br /> Robin Washco of CPL said if there are multiple sites being analyzed, they determine the <br /> pros and cons of each site. <br /> Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the county has to pay additional money if the two <br /> sites fall through. <br /> Alan Dorman said there would be an additional expense if they have to find another site <br /> outside of the two currently being considered. He said there aren't that many large sites close to <br /> Hillsborough that could be used for this purpose. <br /> A motion was made by Commissioner Hamilton, seconded by Vice-Chair Greene, to <br /> approve the contract with CPL and authorize the Chair to sign it after final review by the County <br /> Attorney. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> b. Opioid Settlement Funding Discussion <br /> The Board reviewed the cashflow analysis of the Opioid Settlement Funds by County staff, <br /> discussed different strategies for spending these funds, and provided direction to staff and the <br /> Opioid Advisory Committee. <br /> BACKGROUND: The County is a recipient of the NC Opioid Settlement Funds and will receive <br /> $12,296,286 over the course of eighteen (18)years. The structure of these funds is unique based <br /> on the specific repayment plans in each defendant's settlement (See Attachment 2). Because of <br /> the unique frontloaded structure, the County is faced with two distinct facts that it must balance <br /> over the coming fiscal years. <br /> The first is that the County has a significant reserve of funds on hand, $2.3 million, that could be <br /> allocated directly to nonprofit agencies or to County programs that provide high impact opioid <br /> abatement services this fiscal year. The second is that as settlement payments decline in future <br /> years, the Settlement Fund will not be able to sustain the five (5) existing County programs. By <br /> the last three (3) years of the Opioid Settlement Fund, FY 2036-39, the cost of the five (5) <br /> programs would exceed new annual payments by over$1 million. Therefore, the County will need <br /> to have a general plan to either end those five (5) programs (See Attachment 1)or transition those <br /> programs into the General Fund. Those programs currently support seven (7) time-limited <br /> positions. Based on the realities of this funding trend, County staff recommends removing the <br /> County programming from the Opioid Advisory Committee's awards. The County programs would <br /> be reviewed annually based on performance during the annual budget process. <br /> The exact timing of this transition or termination of programs would be determined by the <br /> allocation of funds for other initiatives. These could represent funding allocated to nonprofit <br /> organizations or to provide annual support for the operating subsidy of the new Behavioral Health <br /> Crisis Diversion Facility. Once completed, the Crisis Diversion Facility will require an estimated <br /> $2.8 million annual County tax supported subsidy based on current assumptions. The County <br /> can use Opioid Funds to offset some of that subsidy. In addition, the annual community meeting <br /> identified the Recovery Housing Support as the most critical need. The County could pursue this <br /> type of resource in partnership with Alliance Health using Opioid Settlement Funds. <br />