ADRIAN — Lenawee County has officially begun the public review process to allocate more than $1.57 million in opioid settlement funds. On Wednesday, the Bridging the Gap Subcommittee met to finalize the scoring criteria, meeting calendar, and review process for nearly 30 proposals submitted earlier this year.
The funds — part of a nationwide settlement with pharmaceutical companies — are intended to support local initiatives for treatment, prevention, and recovery. Submissions include both one-year and multi-year funding requests, with several proposals requesting over $60,000.
To manage the review process, the committee will hear two to six presentations per month starting in July and ending in December. Each organization will be given 20–30 minutes, including time for questions and answers. Reviewers will use a standardized scoring sheet to rate proposals on criteria such as alignment with the RFP, community need, sustainability, and measurable outcomes.
According to Francine Zysk, Lenawee County Court Administrator and a lead staff member for the initiative, funding could begin arriving in 2026:
Officials emphasized that all scores will be recorded individually and entered into a transparent Excel-based ranking system, which will inform the final funding recommendations to the Lenawee County Board of Commissioners.
To maintain fairness, members are required to review each proposal in advance and are expected to watch recordings of any presentations they miss. The community needs assessment, conducted locally and informed by county-specific data, will serve as a foundational tool throughout the process.
More information, including the community data referenced in the review process, is available at Lenawee.mi.us.