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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-06 Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Committee Minutes Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Committee Minutes for the Wednesday August 6, 2025 Meeting 6:OOp I Council Chambers Members Present: Councilor Susan Hawes, Chair, Scott Knowles, Shelly Yankowsky, Scott Pardy, Jayson Hunt, Alison Small, Bangor Police Chief Mark Hathaway, Bangor Prevention Program Manager Jamie Comstock Members Absent: Lisa Williams City of Bangor staff and guests present: Carollynn Lear, City Manager; MacKenzie David, Maine Opioid Settlement Support Center Call to Order Call to order at 6:01pm Review of MOSS Center RFP Template • City Manager Carollynn Lear displayed the MOSS Center's RFP template. • Committee Member Hunt asked whether the applicants for funding would be limited to organizations in Bangor and/or only serving Bangor residents. o After discussion, the Committee determined that this should be a factor in the scoring metric with a preference for organizations that serve Bangor residents. • Committee Member Pardy noted that we should give grant recipients a deadline to spend the money. • Committee Member Comstock noted that the challenge will be how to allocate money received in later rounds of settlement distributions and asked whether the Committee would continue to make recommendations to Council. Discussion of format and questions for stakeholder input • The Committee held a lengthy discussion on whether the Committee should hold interviews before releasing the grant application or after releasing and receiving applications. • MacKenzie David from the MOSS Center noted that some municipalities have held workshops with interested community members and providers and others have issued surveys. From her experience, all have done this information gathering prior to releasing the grant application and accepting applications. • The Committee's consensus was to first request "Letters of Intent" from applicants in hopes of gathering more information to inform the grant application format. o City Manager Lear indicated that City staff could draft the "Letter of Intent" request for the Committee to review, edit, and vote on at the next meeting. Discussion of Emails Received by Committee • Committee Member Knowles agreed with many of the sentiments expressed by the email writers, but ultimately felt like the Committee-approved intensive case management recommendation to Council was necessary. • Committee Member Pardy felt shamed into his affirmative vote on the intensive case management recommendation to Council and expressed that he felt like he didn't have a choice. He noted that it is a lot of money and he is not sure if he would vote yes again. • Committee Member Yankowsky expressed confusion over the sentiments expressed in the emails and worried that the writer was confusing this Committee with the similar Penobscot County Committee. She also noted that the City did not request this money, it was the Committee's proposal. o The Committee coalesced around inviting the Penobscot County Opioid Settlement Committee to one of the next two meetings and City Manager Lear committed to coordinating that invitation. • Committee Member Hunt noted that the City does represent the people and does good work and that the Committee's intensive case management recommendation to Council will impact people positively. • Committee Member Hunt reiterated that we need to do this [intensive case management for HIV-infected people] now and that more people will be infected if we wait. • Committee Member Yankowsky noted the additional need for needle exchange services. • City Manager Lear discussed the City's process for FOAA requests because one of the emails received by the City included a FOAA request to the Committee. Closing • The Committee discussed the need to change their meeting schedule in order to avoid a conflict with the School Board when City operations return to City Hall. • Next meeting Wednesday, August 13, at 6 p.m.