Menominee County creates task force to guide opioid settlement spending

MENOMINEE, MICH. – Menominee County has formally launched a new effort to confront the opioid crisis by creating a special task force to oversee how the county spends more than six hundred thousand dollars in settlement funds over the next 18 years.

At its Jan. 6 organizational meeting, the Menominee County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution establishing an opioid settlement task force.

The move follows national legal settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, which will bring Menominee County a total of $647,353.38.

Those funds come with strict conditions and may only be used for approved purposes spelled out in the settlement’s “Exhibit E,” including treatment, prevention, recovery support and harm-reduction strategies.

County Administrator Jason Carviou explained to commissioners that the task force is designed to create an orderly, transparent process for deciding how the money will be used.

The group will be made up of Carviou and two county commissioners, who will be appointed through the county’s normal process.

After the resolution passed, Board Chair Larry Phelps announced that he would serve on the task force along with Commissioner Donald Park. The Board then voted to confirm those appointments.

During the discussion, Carviou told commissioners he expects numerous local agencies and organizations to seek support from the settlement funds.

The task force will be responsible for developing a long-term strategic plan for spending the money, designing a request-for-projects or request-for-proposals process and reviewing submissions from governmental, nonprofit and community partners.

Proposals will be checked carefully to ensure they comply with the allowed uses listed in “Exhibit E,” in consultation with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office when needed.

Final funding decisions will remain with the full county board, based on recommendations from the task force.

Officials stressed that the new body would operate as a public-facing committee, giving residents and organizations an opportunity to share their ideas and concerns about how the funds should be invested.

Carviou noted that similar task forces have been created in counties across Michigan to manage their share of the statewide opioid settlements and said Menominee County is following that model to promote fairness and accountability.

Phelps told fellow commissioners that anyone with suggestions or questions about the settlement dollars should feel free to contact him, Park or the county administrator as the task force begins its work.

Prior to the discussion and creation of the opioid task force, the board completed its 2026 board reorganization setting leadership positions, meeting dates and committee assignments for the year.

Phelps was unanimously re-elected as board chair, following a roll-call vote.

Commissioner Nick Hancheck was confirmed as vice chair and Commissioner Larry Johnson was selected as vice chair pro tempore.

The board approved its bylaws, rules and procedures for 2026 after reviewing a redlined version previously vetted by the executive committee.

Commissioners also adopted the annual meeting schedule, keeping sessions on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. in Courtroom B of the courthouse, but shifting December meetings to the first and third Tuesdays to avoid conflict with the Christmas holiday.

The 2027 organizational meeting was set for January 5.

Commissioner assignments to a wide range of county, regional and advisory boards were read into the record and later confirmed by motion.