Sara Swepston, a representative of the Lotus Manor recovery house for women with Opioid Use Disorder set for opening in Kingston, expresses concerns Tuesday about a Luzerne County Council majority’s decision to table an earmark from the opioid litigation settlement fund.
Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader
A Luzerne County Council majority tabled two opioid litigation settlement fund earmarks Tuesday after some members called for more transparency in the way allocation recommendations are brought to council.
Council had activated a Commission on Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement in May 2024 to review and recommend which entities should receive awards. The county is projected to receive approximately $30 million over 18 years from the state’s opioid settlement.
Council has the final say on awards.
The commission includes a council-appointed citizen, a County Council member (currently John Lombardo), and the following county officials: manager, drug and alcohol administrator, district attorney, human services division head, and correctional services division head.
The commission has taken the position that its meetings are not public because it is advisory and not a decision-making body. It holds periodic public town hall meetings to seek public input.
Councilwoman Denise Williams said she sought public posting of commission meeting minutes as required by commission bylaws. After reviewing the resulting postings, Williams said she is concerned that the commission is denying and tabling recommendations without explanation or disclosure to council and the public. She considers its work “official action” that should comply with open meetings laws.
Williams said she does not support a small group made mostly of county administrators privately making decisions about recommendations for large sums.
Councilman Chris Belles concurred, saying council loses its “control over purse strings” if it is not aware of requests that were denied.
Councilman Jimmy Sabatino sought clarification on which applications have been rejected by the commission.
County Human Services Division Head Megan Stone said denials were primarily for projects that did not meet the strict opioid trust eligibility requirements. The commission also withdrew a recommendation to allocate funds for a media campaign because it was not supported by County Council after discussion at a public meeting, Stone noted. Items are tabled if further information must be submitted, she said.
Stone said she submits a report to the opioid trust twice a year, and it determines at the state level if earmarks are compliant.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo told council that the court order creating the settlement fund does not require recommendation committees, such as the county commission, to follow the state Sunshine Act, and that public comment and participation occur when recommendations are brought to County Council. However, Crocamo stressed she supports council’s plan to reconsider the commission recommendation process.
Councilwoman Joanna Bryn Smith said she concurs with Williams and Belles and had raised concerns about a lack of transparency regarding the recommendations in the past.
“All of these decisions, all of these discussions, need to be public,” Bryn Smith said.
A majority supported Belles’ motion to table both earmarks until council reassesses commission procedures, with the other votes from Council members Steve Coslett, Patty Krushnowski, LeeAnn McDermott, Dawn Simmons, Bryn Smith, and Williams.
Sabatino and Council Vice Chairwoman Brittany Stephenson voted against tabling, and Council members Lombardo and Harry Haas were absent Tuesday.
The two tabled earmarks:
• $75,000 for Lotus Manor, a Kingston recovery house for women with Opioid Use Disorder
• $149,490 for Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania for its “Give Hope” mobile outreach program, established in 2019 to connect with and support the homeless
Williams said she is concerned because Lotus Manor is still in the process of obtaining licensing.
During public comment, Lotus Manor representative Sara Swepston said her program will address a “seriously dire need” assisting women, including those with children, to “ensure they have a chance.”
Lotus Manor representatives are “doing the really hard work that nobody wants to do,” and the facility is months away from opening, she said.
Swepston said she supports public meetings and due diligence, but finds it frustrating that the Lotus Manor application is now held up, particularly because County Council had previously approved an earmark for another facility that was not licensed at the time.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
