Opioid funds — County will use settlement funds for K-9 vehicle, training
Weston County will be using a portion of the county’s Wyoming Opioid Settlement Funds to purchase a new vehicle for the K-9 unit and to bring training to Weston County for all law enforcement officers. The Board of Weston County Commissioners voted in favor of both expenditures on Nov. 19.
According to Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Fields, the opioid funds are the result of an opioid lawsuit.
As of June 26, Wyoming has received nearly $15 million in settlement funds, according to a Wyoming Legislative Service Office fact sheet.
“Of this total, approximately 35 percent of funds were paid to the State (Statewide Share) and 65 percent distributed to 33 local governments (Localized Share),” the sheet states. “The Statewide share is distributed to the Wyoming Department of Health, while the Localized Share is paid directly to each of the participating local governments according to an allocation formula.”
Weston County, the sheet notes, received 0.78% of the funds designated for local governments.
According to Weston County Clerk Becky Hadlock, as of October, the county has received $28,845.19 in opioid funds for the current year.
In November 2023, the county had roughly $62,600 in the county’s opioid fund line item. At that time, Hadlock reported that the county would be sent funds on a regular basis over the next seven years.
“This money is to spend on things related to opioids and prevention for the community,” Fields told the News Letter Journal. “Last year we purchased a new canine off of that pot.”
This year, he said, the county will be purchasing a new vehicle to replace a Chevrolet Tahoe and accommodate the drug dog because the department is having issues with the current vehicle.
Fields told the commissioners on Nov. 19 that the new Ford F-150 would cost $83,374.24. The vehicle will be equipped and ready for the drug dog for that amount, he noted.
According to Fields, the new vehicle will take roughly six months to a year to arrive. Gilbert Nelson, Weston County Emergency Management coordinator, noted that more opioid funds will be received by the county before the payment for the vehicle is due.
In addition to the new vehicle, the commissioners voted to allocate up to $20,000 to bring law enforcement training to Newcastle for all officers in the county, but that amount could be less if officials from other counties are willing to pay to participate.
Fields explained that the lowest cost associated with the training will be $12,000 for all officers in Weston County to attend. He said that this includes officers of both the Newcastle and Upton police departments. The low-end cost, Fields said, would involve officers from outside of the county attending and paying for their spot. If no outside officers attend, he said the cost would be $20,000.
“This guarantees us 14 seats in training for the current staffing levels that we have,” Fields said, noting that the cost is roughly $1,500 per officer.
Fields later told the News Letter Journal that the proposal includes officers from all departments in Weston County because the funds are meant for the entire county.
“It is not just the county’s money; it needs to benefit all the agencies and everybody within the county,” he said. “That is why we are not excluding any of the agencies or officers.”
Fields noted that the drug dog and the equipment purchased are also for the benefit of the entire county.
Commission Clips
Notes from the Nov. 19 and Dec. 3 Weston County Commissioners meeting
Nov. 19
• The board approved moving forward with replacing the camera system at the Weston County Law Enforcement Center. According to Weston County Emergency Management coordinator Gilbert Nelson, the board approved spending no more than $170,000 to update the camera system through Verkada. The funds will be taken from tribal funds received by the county.
• The board discussed working on a bid expectation and procurement policy.
• Dru Bower, of Dru Consulting, provided updates on Greater Sage-Grouse, the Thunder Basin National Grasslands, the Bureau of Land Management Newcastle land use plan revision and the National Old Growth controversy.
• The board discussed making the county clerk’s audio recording of the meeting an official record, providing access to the public and how long the recordings would be saved. No decisions were made.
Dec. 3
• Kristi Lipp, of the 21 Wellness Coalition, reported that the group is currently rebranding the organization. She noted that her office has relocated.
• County Attorney Michael Stulken reported that Vaultside, an online records company, would like to go with its proposed agreement. Discussion was had about the issues with Vaultside and potentially severing the relationship. No decision was made.
• The board discussed an $800 bill from the Weston County Fair Board for use of the Weston County Events Center for the 2024 election. After discussion, the board decided it would not pay the bill and would send a letter to the board. Reasons for not paying the bill included the fact that it is a county building used for county business, that no contract was signed and that the discussion should have been had before a bill was sent.