City leaders have given initial approval to creating a board that will assist with funding requests as part of a local effort tackling the area’s opioid crisis.
The Columbus City Council on Tuesday voted 6-0 to approve the Substance Abuse Public Funding Board and the Substance Abuse Services Advisory and Accountability Committee. City Councilwoman Elaine Wagner was absent from the meeting.
The organizational structure of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP) initiative created in 2017 has action teams focused on prevention, intervention and treatment and recovery from opiate addictions. It is overseen by Mayor Jim Lienhoop, Bartholomew County Commissioner Carl Lienhoop and Jim Bickel, president and CEO of Columbus Regional Health.
The proposed funding board would be made up of Mayor Lienhoop, Columbus City Council president Frank Miller, the Bartholomew County Council president or a designate, a CRH representative and a Bartholomew County commissioner. Ferdon said she wasn’t sure which county commissioner would be appointed to sit on the board, while it was also uncertain whether Bickel would serve on the board or whether a designee would be selected.
In addition, Ferdon said she has spoken to Bartholomew County Council president Mark Gorbett, who has indicated he is designating council member Laura DeDomenic to be on the panel.
An oversight committee that would include individuals known as content experts would have operational oversight of substance abuse metrics and funding in interlocal agreements, said Mary Ferdon, executive director of administration and community development. Designees could be appointed to serve on the board or committee, Ferdon said.
That committee would include Columbus Police Chief Jon Rohde, Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers, two community members, a city administrator, County Prosecutor Bill Nash, an addiction services provider, a criminal defense attorney and an ASAP representative, Ferdon said. That panel would be responsible for reporting its findings to the board, which would make a recommendation to city and county elected officials.
The board would be responsible for forwarding projects and programs requesting funding to the committee for consideration, according to the ordinance.
Ferdon said the funding board would help decide which entity could fund projects or programs before they are implemented. It will also make budgetary recommendations to Columbus City Council and the Bartholomew County Council on what to fund, she said.
“We want to show the public how decisions are being made in the interest of transparency,” Ferdon said.
Ferdon said the initiative will involve guiding principles that involve seeking external funding first, no duplication of services and a preference for evidence-based programs and processes.
DeDomenic addressed the city council and said she supports the formation of the board and the committee. The collaborative approach between the city and the county to tackle the opioid problem was the right way to go, she said.
“To me, this is a whole community initiative,” DeDomenic said. “You have to work together. If we don’t start addressing it, it will continue to spiral.”
Miller recommended amending the ordinance to have two treatment service providers on the committee instead of one, which was subsequently approved by the council in a 6-0 vote. That move was supported by City Councilman Tom Dell, who said it might appear that one agency might have an advantage over another for potential services.
Dell said the city will evaluate the committee and the funding board’s role and whether any changes need to be made in the future. The ordinance will have to be approved a second time next month for final approval.
“We’re charting new ground,” Dell said. “We need to start somewhere and we can modify as we go forward.”
City Councilwoman Laurie Booher agreed with Dell about having two treatment service providers to serve on the committee. If there were just one, that might be portrayed differently by the public, she said.
“Even if that’s not the intent, that’s what the perception would be,” Booher said.
Council members on Tuesday also gave initial approval to create a substance abuse non-reverting fund, meaning any money placed in the fund could only spent for that specific purpose. The city budgeted $250,000 for the ASAP initiative that will be placed in the fund, Ferdon said.
The money was budgeted within the Columbus Board of Works for 2018 and comes from the city’s general fund, said Jamie Brinegar, city finance director.
The Bartholomew County Commissioners also need to pass an ordinance creating the funding board and committee. Interlocal agreements will also need to be developed, according to Ferdon.
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To learn about the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress initiative, visit asapbc.org.
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