BRAINERD – After requests for funding, Crow Wing County commissioners have put on hold the recommendation to use funds from the settlement with the Opioid Department for ongoing expenses with the sheriff’s department, particularly jail expenses.

The funds come from the national opioid agreements with the state of Minnesota. In 2022, Crow Wing County learned it would receive over $2.5 million over the next 18 years to combat the opioid epidemic.

At the Brainerd Lakes Area Drug Education Opioid Coalition meeting on July 26, funding requests from the Brainerd Fire Department, Sheriff’s Office and Bridges of Hope to keep the warming shelter open year-round were discussed and approved.

In total, those requests totaled $344,597.37 — including $8,000 spread over two years for the fire department, $100,000 for the sheriff’s office to fund the jail medical program, $9,288.37 to replace medication carts at the county jail, $19,309 for the Lakes Area Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit, with the majority going to pay for insurance and a smaller portion for a secure storage drive, and finally $200,000 for Bridges of Hope spread over two years to keep the Bridges on 7th warming shelter open year-round.

Kara Terry, the county’s director of community services, presented the coalition’s recommendations to the county council on Tuesday, August 13.

The board approved a funding request from the list of $8,000 per year for the Brainerd Fire Department to fund a two-year PulsePoint subscription. PulsePoint is a nonprofit organization. Their app alerts people trained in CPR to someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest nearby. The idea is to quickly connect people trained in CPR to someone in distress. Terry said all Crow Wing County first responders are on board and the Brainerd Fire Department uses PulsePoint.

“You want to use it not only for CPR notification, but also to promote opioid education. So, for example, opioid overdose education,” Terry said.

Commissioners asked for clarification that the money would be used to notify all trained first responders in the county, and after receiving that clarification, voted to approve the funding request.

The other requests faced greater opposition, with commissioners questioning whether this was the true intent of the opioid agreement and whether the items for which the sheriff’s office was requesting funds should not be considered operating expenses in the regular budget.

Originally, the prison had proposed funding its entire medical program with the opioid funds. The coalition pointed out that the grant is a one-time funding source, so funding the entire program for one year may not be the best use of those funds, Terry said. She noted that they also try to be mindful that the money is for the next 15 years or so, and they are not sure how much money they will receive in the future.

“You’re telling us now that you think this falls within the scope of what we should be spending the opioid money on,” Commissioner Paul Koering asked when he asked for confirmation for the record in case an auditor questions the use.

“Two things to your question, Commissioner: The Opioid Coalition believes it falls into that category. I don’t think it’s a good use of the opioid dollars, but I’m not the chief administrator of the opioid dollars,” Terry said. “The Coalition makes those decisions. I think it’s money that’s being added to the budget for a one-time use. And I don’t think that’s a good use. So do I personally agree with that? No. Does the Coalition believe it’s a good use of the dollars? Yes.”

Sheriff Eric Klang said they formed a coalition to make these decisions.

“So the coalition has decided it is a good use, and I agree with that 100 percent,” Klang said.

Commissioner Steve Barrows said he had long struggled to maintain a medical program at the prison that had always been funded by the levy.

“And so I’m wondering why we suddenly need an additional $100,000 to support this program. Can you explain that to me?” Barrows said, asking Klang for the details. Klang said he was not at the meeting.

Terry responded that the request came to fund the entire prison medical program, and since the prison program needs to be funded and was funded anyway, the coalition decided it could fund $100,000 for the prison medical program, but not the entire amount. Barrows pressed to ask if those funds weren’t already part of the budget.

Terry said they want to offset the jail’s medical costs for 2025. Barrows asked if that discussion shouldn’t be part of the levy hearing that’s taking place instead. Terry said that could be possible if the board so chooses, but that request was submitted for consideration through Chief Deputy Andy Bradley’s Opioid Coalition.

“I’m just wondering why, even though we already have a budget and know that we need to fund the medical program there, we’re suddenly looking at this pot of money, the opioid dollars, as a source of funding for something that we’ve always funded through our levy process,” Barrows said.

Administrator Deborah Erickson said she believes they are looking for creative ways to make up for the lower revenue from the jail. This year, Cass County terminated its longstanding contract, in place since the jail was built in 2007, to house prisoners at the Crow Wing County Jail, resulting in a $1 million deficit.

“Obviously we’ve saved some costs that were already incurred by closing the two pods for 2025. The sheriff’s office has been trying to find ways to either increase revenue or reduce expenses,” Erickson said. “Is that a way to reduce expenses and increase revenue? That’s one way to look at it.”

The Crow Wing County Jail has five housing units, or cells, in its 78,000-square-foot facility. Erickson said she shares Barrows’ concern about using the dollars as a one-time infusion of cash to fill the gap in 2025, meaning they would be in the position of having to come up with that money again in 2026.

“So it’s a stopgap measure and I think it should be viewed in the context of the full budget proposal that will be presented to the county council for consideration,” Erickson said, noting that it could be a stopgap measure, but if the funding goes away, the county will have to come up with $200,000 for 2026.

Koering said he knows the opioid funds will help people recover from that type of use, but prison funding doesn’t seem to fall into that category. Klang said it’s for addicted prison inmates who need medication. Klang said it’s for the entire cell block.

Terry said the opioid funds are intended for prevention, education and support for children, families and adults struggling with addiction and treatment, so there aren’t many restrictive rules. Terry said the prison tries to help people facing addiction and substance abuse.

“But I have a problem with that because it’s a one-time funding source for an ongoing budget need,” Terry said. “I don’t think that’s the best use of opioid dollars.”

Koering, who said he did not know he was a member of the coalition, said he felt he had to bring his strong personality and voice of reason to the coalition.

“I just don’t think the issue is finished yet,” Koering said, asking if anything else needed to be done that day. “I think if you come back and give me a few more reasons, I could probably do it. But today I’m not convinced, so I think it needs to go a little further.”

Commissioners Doug Houge and Jon Lubke also asked questions about the funding and the ambulance. Barrows said he was inclined to remove the items from the sheriff’s and Bridges of Hope’s request because Brainerd has not approved year-round use of the shelter. The board expects to hear from the sheriff and Bridges of Hope at a future meeting. The county is also working on creating a dashboard so the public can see where the funds are going.

“This is a bigger problem because it creates even more problems in the budget in the future,” Koering said. “So I think it needs to be worked out even more at the leadership level and that it’s consistent with the opioid agreement.”

Funding areas identified by the BLADE/Opioid Coalition

The county’s website cites the BLADE/Opioid Coalition and describes funding opportunities in the form of grants to community members or organizations to advance the three strategic areas described below.

“The BLADE/Opioid Coalition invites community members/agencies to advance collaborative, community-based work through a funding opportunity that impacts one or more of the following strategies:

1. Expand the capacity of programs that target families affected by substance use disorders, with a focus on increasing reunification rates and safe placement options or providing targeted education and care for children in foster care who are placed primarily because of their parents’ substance abuse.
2. Financial support and assistance to schools that are trained in implementing curricula such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Healthy, Positive Outcomes, Substance Use Disorders, and Positive Community Norms, or that integrate targeted outreach efforts into existing school departments that focus on high-risk populations and at-risk families.
3. “Integrate and strengthen substance use disorder, mental health, and primary care services and treatment across the criminal justice system.”

Applicants are asked to set out what they want to achieve, how they plan to involve the community and how the proposal will help reduce the impact of opioids and other substances in the community.

Reach Renee Richardson, editor in chief, at 218-855-5852 or [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter @DispatchBizBuzz.