PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is slated to receive more than $2 million in settlement funds to address opioid use in the community.

Last week, the finance subcommittee supported an order to transfer and appropriate the initial settlement installment of $510,711.79 from free cash to the new Opioid Settlement account.

In July 2021, the attorney general entered into an agreement with the major distributors of opioids. This includes payments to communities to address issues associated with opioid addiction and prevention and the city expects to receive $2,221,991.49 over its term.

Documents show that payments are scheduled until 2038.

Mayor Peter Marchetti reported that the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force, one of the promises of his campaign, could be a candidate for some of the funds in the future.

"As we go through this process and we begin to look at the areas that were lacking in terms of services for substance use disorder, I can't talk mental health but where we're lacking, there could be a use for that," he said.

According to the state's regional opioid-related incident dashboard, there were 219 incidents in Pittsfield in 2023. This is significantly higher than North Adam's 80 incidents in the same year.

Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren had some reservations about the motion and was the lone vote against it. He does not want the fund to have "unfettered discretion" and would like to get a better handle on where the funds will go.

"This administration has been very good about going out and getting input from the public, talking to people so I have no problem but I do want to have a little more so I'm letting people know that I will be against the $500,000 right now," he said. "If I hear more things targeting some of that money, I might change that but I don't think it puts handcuffs on the administration."

Warren added that he would like updates similar to what he requested for American Rescue Plan Act funds.

"This gives us and the public a chance to have some oversight on what's going on, what's happening," he said. "Because it's not just where we want the money to go we need public input and the settlement is on the basis of the public and the monies that were derived because some pharmaceutical companies took advantage of everyday average citizens."

Marchetti said he is looking to develop a partnership and believes he has been that partner.

"I, just as you did during the campaign, made promises to the public and I intend on keeping those promises," he said.

Finance Director Matthew Kerwood explained that state Department of Revenue initially declared the settlement money to be general fund revenue and so they were taken in as local receipts. Communities then began questioning this because the funds are intended for a specific purpose so the DOR allowed the option of creating special stabilization accounts.

Communities like Pittsfield that did not reserve the funds have vote to transfer the amounts from free cash; in the future the funds will automatically go in the stabilization account. All special revenue funds are without further appropriation, not just the opioid settlement funds.

Councilor at Large Earl Persip III assumed that the administration has a vision for the funds that fall under the 10 categories for which it has to be spent.

Marchetti confirmed that and added that the monies weren't spent previously because there wasn't a defined process on how to spend them. He offered to report to the council with appropriations.

"Those 10 options to spend the money wasn't there prior and so these monies were coming into the city," he said.

"I'm not going to look back because I'm the mayor looking toward the future and that's the way that I'm going to do things. I can't explain why they haven't been there but we have these funds that need to be used for these purposes."

Persip cannot see how the funds could be appropriated in a way that the council doesn't agree with given the guidelines.

"I personally don't see a role for us. I think the $500,000 that has been piecemeal to us through allocations from the settlement were clearly intended and tightly wound around these new statements," Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre said, adding that she feels the legislation from the state and the attorney general is very clear.

President Peter White agreed, pointing out that "everything in this is straightforward."

Marchetti pointed out that one of the items on the guidance is for co-responders, who are social work professionals who respond alongside police to related calls.

"This council has asked me to provide as close to a level of budget as I can," he said.

"I feel that the addition of some additional CO responders is important and I wouldn't necessarily be able to fund with taxpayer dollars if I'm trying to meet your directives and so there's one way to be able to bring on some additional co-responders that are coming out of the budget and impacting the taxpayer dollars."

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