Late last year, Maury County Commission approved the spending of $920,770 in opioid settlement funding, abating the opioid crisis in their community from multiple angles.

But it’s more than just the broad and comprehensive approach that caught our eye at SMART. The formal and transparent procedures of the Maury County Opioid Abatement Committee have made it so that any local resident can follow along and see exactly how these dollars are being allocated.

On the show this month is Doug Lukonen, the Maury County Finance Director and Chair of the county’s Opioid Abatement Committee, and Brandon Faun, Financial Administrative Assistant, who was instrumental in creating the documents and procedures of the committee’s abatement community grant process.

It’s clear that the Finance Office provided some crucial insight, as the guiding principle for the committee has been that though these funds last 18 years, the amounts change significantly over time - and as such, so should the county’s plans.

This was an excellent conversation with a lot of actionable takeaways for county officials. Most of all, the reminder that the allocation deadline for 2023 funding is only one month away.

Learn more:

Maury County Opioid Abatement Committee: https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/645/Maury-County-Opioid-Abatement-Committee

TN Opioid Abatement Council County Funding: https://www.tn.gov/oac/county.html

SMART: smart.tennessee.edu

LISTEN HERE: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qbzONIr0hlWxiQsPwkXHM