GLASGOW, Ky. — Before deciding where Barren County’s opioid settlement money should go, members of a newly formed committee first want to understand where the community is prepared and where it still needs help.

The Barren County Opioid Settlement Committee spent its first meeting Monday evaluating local prevention, treatment and recovery services as it begins developing priorities for the county’s opioid settlement funds.

The committee includes Sheriff-elect Adam Bow, Jailer Aaron Shirley, Judge-Executive Jamie Byrd, Magistrates Tim Durham and Marty Kinslow, and citizen representative Bethany Steenbergen.

Members selected Steenbergen as chair and Bow as vice chair.

Much of Monday’s meeting was spent completing a Recovery Ready Community Assessment developed by the Kentucky Association of Counties.

The assessment is designed to help communities evaluate their substance use disorder treatment and recovery efforts.

Members reviewed resources and interventions in three categories: prevention, treatment and recovery support. They assigned scores based on what is available in Barren County.

Steenbergen said the assessment will help the committee determine where settlement money could have the greatest impact.

“What I would like the goal for the committee to be is to determine where the funds need to go based of of where the readiness is,” Steenbergen said. “If we’re more ready in one area, less funds would go towards that area, and more funds go to areas where we are lacking the most.”

The assessment also could help applicants determine how much funding may be available for different areas when the county begins accepting grant applications.

“While people are applying for the grants, we would be able to have the opportunity to see specifically how much money is available in that area, and they can base their grant off of that,” Steenbergen said.

Using the money effectively

Barren County has received opioid settlement payments since 2023 but has not spent any of its settlement funds.

As of March, the county held $495,866.87, including accrued interest, according to County Treasurer Amanda Steger. Settlement payments are expected to continue through 2040, although the amount and timing of individual payments can vary.

Community stakeholders who could potentially seek funding attended Monday’s meeting, including Dont’e Paul, founder of Bethesda Wellness and Recovery, and Libby Short, co-founder of Community Partners for Recovery.

Short said the ultimate goal should be improving the community rather than simply completing an assessment.

“We just want this community to be well,” Short said.

The assessment is part of a broader effort in Kentucky to help communities evaluate their readiness to address substance use disorder and recovery.

Magistrate Tim Durham emphasized the importance of understanding addiction from the perspective of those who have experienced it.

“If you ain’t lived it, you don’t understand,” Durham said.

Short said obtaining a Recovery Ready Community designation could be valuable, but she cautioned that the county should remain focused on how the settlement money can directly benefit residents.

“At the end of the day, a Recovery-Ready Community designation is great,” Short said. “I do think there are some areas that we certainly need to work on, but I also think that we need to make sure we’re using that money most effectively for the people in Barren County, not just for a certification.”

The committee is scheduled to finalize its evaluation criteria and grant application Sept. 14. Applications are expected to become available to the public Sept. 17 and will be due Oct. 15.

The committee plans to evaluate applications Oct. 19, interview finalists Nov. 16 and award grants Dec. 14.

Regular meetings are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the Barren County Government Center, 117 N. Public Square. Special-called meetings may also be held.