Title
Resolution to Amend the City Council Approved Fiscal Year 2025 Budget to Appropriate from the General Fund Restricted Fund Balance Funds to be Paid to the City of Newport News to be Used as a Portion of the Local Match Contribution for Certain Cooperative Grants from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority for which the City of Newport News is Serving as the Fiscal Agent
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
There have been multiple national settlements where opioid manufacturers and distributors have agreed to pay funds to state and local governments which are meant to help those governments abate and remediate the opioid epidemic. In Virginia, each county and city signed a memorandum of understanding with Virginia's Office of the Attorney General, which established an allocation plan for opioid settlements within the Commonwealth. In accordance with this plan opioid settlement funds will be disbursed with 15% going directly to the Commonwealth; 30% going directly to cities and counties based on a per capita within the county or city; and the remaining 55% being deposited into the Opioid Abatement Fund, to be administered by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority ("OAA"), much of which will be distributed to localities through a grant application process.
In addition, OAA offers an optional "Gold Standard" Incentive program that provides a 25% increase to a locality's Individual Distribution allocation provided the locality agrees to apply the "Gold Standard" in the usage of 100% of the direct funds it receives. The City of Hampton has opted to participate in this program.
Discussion:
The OAA operates a financial assistance program to support certain cooperative partnerships of cities and/or counties that implement regional efforts to treat, prevent, and reduce opioid use disorder and the misuse of opioids. The City of Hampton is partnering with the City of Newport News to take advantage of those funds to benefit the Hampton-Newport News Comm...
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