Bangor leaders took the first step in deciding how to spend the more than $3 million the city will receive in opioid settlement funds over the next 13 years, but recovery advocates say the city’s actions are long overdue.
Bangor city councilors on Wednesday agreed to create a committee that will guide the city on how to spend the roughly $1 million the city has received in opioid settlement money since 2022. Councilors will vote to formally create the committee in their meeting Monday.
Bangor’s new Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Committee will be composed almost entirely of people who have experienced substance use disorder and those who have experience with the resources designed to help those who use drugs, such as recovery housing, harm reduction and prevention programming.
The state collects the money from litigation with companies accused of contributing to the opioid crisis. That settlement money then gets distributed to counties and municipalities and must be spent on efforts that fight against the ongoing opioid crisis, such as substance use prevention or recovery measures.
To date, the city has spent only $19,326 of the opioid settlement funds, according to Debbie Laurie, Bangor’s city manager. That money was spent on a contract with the now-defunct Health Equity Alliance to clean up used syringes around the city.
The years-long delay in spending funds intended to improve communities echoes Bangor’s sluggishness to dole out the more than $20 million in federal pandemic relief the city received from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Dan Tremble was the only councilor to vote against the advisory committee’s creation on Wednesday, as he worried it would further delay the city spending the funds.
Making decisions on how to allocate the settlement money without the input of those who have direct experience and expertise on substance use disorder would “alienate the community that was harmed by the opioid epidemic,” Councilor Joseph Leonard said.
“In solving problems, I think the people closest to the problem are often the people closest to the solution,” said Cara Pelletier, City Council chair. “I think the more people with lived experience we can bring together, I think the more effective our use of funds is going to be.”
The decision to create the city’s advisory committee came more than a year after the Maine Recovery Action Project, a grassroots group that advocates for education and legislation on substance use disorder, began contacting communities across the state to ask how they were spending their opioid settlement dollars.
The group also advocated for local leaders, including those in Bangor, to listen to people with experience when making decisions, according to Amy Clark, board president of the Maine Recovery Action Project.
While Clark said she’s pleased with the council’s decision to create an advisory committee, she said the length of time it took for Bangor to create the group and the lack of spending three years into the funds being dispersed to communities is “inexcusable.”
“They started receiving money three years ago, but they knew they were going to be receiving money for a whole year before that, so it’s disappointing that it took this long to even get off the ground,” Clark said. “We still have people dying on our streets almost every day. We can’t afford any more lack of action when we have the money readily available to make a difference.”
In Portland, city leaders have already allocated $1.38 million of its opioid payments to fund a syringe redemption program, methadone treatment program and a day space for those who are homeless, said Maureen Puia, a spokesperson for the city.
Bangor began receiving money in 2022 and will continue getting payments until 2038. In total, the city is projected to receive more than $3.4 million, according to Laurie.
“It could never be enough to undo all of the damage that has been done, but it’s not insignificant, and for the people whose lives that will impact it’s priceless,” Clark said. “There’s a lot of good that can be done with that money.”
The creation of an advisory committee is a departure from a proposal that Jennifer Gunderman, director of the Bangor Public Health department, brought to councilors earlier this month. That pitch included spending more than $30,000 to hire a consultant and interview stakeholders to gather ideas on how to spend the money.
Correction: An earlier version of this report misstated the amount of money Bangor has received so far in opioid settlement funds.