Across Michigan, local governments are sitting on a pile of opioid settlement cash while overdoses keep coming. Towns, cities, and counties have spent only about one-fifth of the money they have received, leaving roughly $176 million resting in local accounts. The state’s first formal tally shows local governments had taken in $214 million and spent about $38 million as of Dec. 10, 2025, even as officials point to steep drops in overdose deaths in recent years.
In a press release, the Michigan Attorney General's Office said it has posted an Opioid Received/Expended Report, along with Settlement Spending Guidance and a Non-Remediation List, to boost transparency and help cities and counties spend the money responsibly. The preliminary report compiles local government submissions from Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 10, 2025, and will be updated as more communities file their figures.
As reported by Bridge Michigan, the first round of accounting shows that only 17.7 percent of settlement dollars received had been spent by mid-December 2025. Bridge found that 258 local governments turned in spending details, and 75 of them reported no expenditures at all. Twelve counties, all in northern Michigan or the Upper Peninsula, also reported zero spending. The outlet highlighted cities like Warren and Farmington Hills sitting on about $2.7 million and $1.7 million, respectively, a snapshot of just how uneven and sluggish the rollout has been.
Harm reduction and falling deaths
Even as money lingers in municipal accounts, state health leaders say past investments in harm reduction are finally paying off. In a March news release, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported that more than 1.7 million naloxone kits have been distributed since 2020 and that over 34,000 overdose reversals have been recorded. The Michigan Opioids Task Force’s 2024–25 summary report also points to targeted spending on treatment, housing, and syringe services that officials say helped push overdose deaths down.
Why some communities are waiting
Local officials and technical advisers argue that the slow pace is often a sign of cautious planning rather than indifference. Amy Dolinky, a technical adviser for opioid settlement planning at the Michigan Association of Counties, told Bridge Michigan that some counties only recently wrapped up planning efforts and expect to start disbursing funds in 2026. Leaders also cite staffing shortages, strict procurement rules, and a desire to build long-term programs instead of quick one-time projects that flare and fade.
New guidance could speed spending
The Attorney General’s guidance lays out recommended, evidence-based uses for settlement money and lists expenses that likely do not qualify as opioid remediation, in part to discourage plugging holes in general budgets. The AG’s office said the new tools are meant to help communities shift from planning to implementation while keeping dollars focused on prevention, treatment, and recovery. Officials expect the online report to be updated as more local governments submit their required filings.
For residents keeping an eye on local budgets, the report offers a clearer ledger of who is spending and who is still stockpiling. With roughly $176 million parked in local accounts, the next stretch will show whether that careful planning turns into visible programs on the ground. Until then, the spending gap underscores a familiar tradeoff: move fast and risk fragile, unsustainable projects, or move slowly and leave potentially life-saving resources sitting on the sidelines.
