St. Louis County is hosting two public listening sessions in April 2026 to gather community input on how to spend opioid settlement funds. The county received $16 million from opioid manufacturer settlements as of February 2025, with none of the funds spent at that time—creating an important window for residents to help shape how these dollars address the opioid crisis.
The listening sessions are scheduled for 3:00-4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14 at the Government Services Center in Virginia and Wednesday, April 16 at the Government Services Center in Duluth, with virtual attendance available via pre-registration. Louis County has secured, the committee’s strategic priorities, the timeline for spending, and how residents can participate in determining which programs receive support.
Table of Contents
- When and Where Will St. Louis County Hold Its Opioid Settlement Listening Sessions?
- How Much Opioid Settlement Money Has St. Louis County Received?
- How Was the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee Formed and What Are Its Goals?
- What Happens After the Public Listening Sessions?
- Why Should You Attend or Participate in These Sessions?
- What Types of Harm Reduction and Criminal Justice Programs Could Be Funded?
- What Can Residents Do Now to Prepare for the Listening Sessions?
- Frequently Asked Questions
When and Where Will St. Louis County Hold Its Opioid Settlement Listening Sessions?
St. Louis county is hosting two identical listening sessions to ensure broad geographic access across the county. The first session takes place on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, from 3:00-4:30 p.m. at the Government Services Center located at 201 South Third Avenue West in Virginia, Minnesota. The second session occurs on Wednesday, April 16, 2026, from 3:00-4:30 p.m.
At the Government Services Center at 320 West Second Street in Duluth, Minnesota. Residents who cannot attend in person can participate virtually by pre-registering beforehand, making it possible for people across different regions of the county—or those with schedule conflicts—to still contribute their perspectives. The two-session format reflects the county’s attempt to reduce barriers to participation. Virginia and Duluth are the county’s two largest population centers, so hosting sessions in both locations increases attendance potential. However, if you work irregular hours or have caregiving responsibilities, the virtual option may be more practical than traveling to either location.
How Much Opioid Settlement Money Has St. Louis County Received?
St. Louis County has received $16 million from opioid settlements as of February 2025, yet records showed the county had not spent any of these funds as of that date. The county is projected to receive approximately $18 million total over an 18-year timeline from the settlement agreement, meaning the $16 million already received represents roughly 89% of the final settlement amount. This long disbursement schedule—stretched over nearly two decades—means funding decisions made now will shape opioid response efforts throughout the 2020s and 2030s.
The fact that no funds had been spent by early 2025 is significant. While it might seem concerning that a year of settlement money sat unspent, the delay actually provided time to establish a strategic planning process rather than rushing into programs hastily. The question being posed in April 2026—at the listening sessions—is how to deploy those accumulated funds responsibly. If your county receives settlement money but spends it on ineffective programs, the damage extends for years; the county’s caution in establishing an advisory committee and seeking public input reflects that reality.
How Was the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee Formed and What Are Its Goals?
The Opioid Remediation Settlement Advisory Committee was established in early 2022, following class-action litigation settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers and distributors. This committee has been working for four years to develop recommendations on how St. Louis County should allocate its share of settlement funds. Unlike a committee formed hastily after money arrives, this group had time to study the opioid crisis as it affected the county specifically, research evidence-based interventions, and consult with providers and community members. The committee’s recommended investment priorities focus on two main areas: harm reduction services and criminal justice intervention services.
Harm reduction programs typically include medication-assisted treatment (MAT), syringe services programs, naloxone distribution, and overdose prevention efforts. Criminal justice intervention services might encompass drug courts, diversion programs for people struggling with addiction instead of incarceration, and reentry support for individuals coming out of the justice system. These aren’t abstract categories—they represent the committee’s judgment about where settlement funds will have the most impact on reducing overdose deaths and opioid addiction in St. Louis County. However, implementation quality varies significantly depending on staffing, training, and coordination with existing providers, so the listening sessions are also an opportunity to ask how the county will ensure programs are actually effective.
What Happens After the Public Listening Sessions?
After the April 2026 listening sessions, St. Louis County plans to establish a Request for Proposals (RFP) process in 2026, with projects selected by early winter. An RFP is a formal invitation for nonprofits, government agencies, and service providers to propose specific programs they believe should receive funding. A community mental health nonprofit might propose expanding their medication-assisted treatment clinic; a law enforcement agency might propose a drug court program; a harm reduction organization might propose a naloxone distribution and training initiative.
The RFP process ensures that funding decisions are based on actual proposals from organizations with capacity to deliver services, rather than the committee deciding in a vacuum. The timeline means decisions must move relatively quickly. Public input is gathered in April, the RFP is developed and released sometime in 2026, and final selections happen by early winter—likely December 2026 or January 2027. For context, this pace is typical for public sector grant cycles, but it does mean that if you attend the listening sessions, follow-up is necessary. The sessions themselves are just the first formal opportunity for community input; paying attention to when the RFP is released and potentially submitting comments during the RFP evaluation period will be the second opportunity to influence which projects actually get funded.
Why Should You Attend or Participate in These Sessions?
St. Louis County is explicitly asking for public input during these sessions, which means your perspective has a legitimate venue—the committee has committed to gathering community feedback before finalizing funding priorities. If your family has experienced opioid addiction, if you work in harm reduction or criminal justice, or if you simply believe settlement funds should be spent in a particular way, the listening sessions are where your voice becomes part of the official record.
However, attendance alone doesn’t guarantee impact. A well-attended session that produces dozens of conflicting opinions is harder for a committee to act on than a smaller session where participants explicitly connect their comments to the committee’s stated priorities (harm reduction and criminal justice intervention). If you attend, consider preparing a brief written comment beforehand—even 2-3 sentences—so you can deliver a focused message. Virtual attendance also has a limitation: the dynamic of conversation is different online, and you may have less sense of what other community members are saying in real-time.
What Types of Harm Reduction and Criminal Justice Programs Could Be Funded?
Harm reduction programs funded by settlement money typically include medication-assisted treatment (MAT) expansion, enabling more people to access medications like methadone or buprenorphine that prevent cravings and withdrawal. St. Louis County could fund additional clinics, mobile treatment units, or tele-health services to make MAT accessible across the county’s geographic area. Syringe services programs reduce transmission of bloodborne infections and can be entry points to treatment services. Naloxone distribution programs train community members and first responders to reverse opioid overdoses.
Criminal justice interventions might include drug courts that divert people from incarceration into treatment, or “law enforcement assisted diversion” programs where officers refer people to social services rather than arrest. St. Louis County could also fund reentry support programs that help people leaving incarceration reintegrate successfully, reducing the likelihood of relapse. The listening sessions are a chance to ask whether the county has concrete proposals for any of these programs, whether from existing providers or new partnerships the county is considering. One limitation to keep in mind: funding a single syringe services site or one drug court is less effective than coordinating multiple services across the county, so if you attend, asking about coordination between programs is a worthwhile question.
What Can Residents Do Now to Prepare for the Listening Sessions?
Before attending the April listening sessions, visit the St. Louis County official page for the Opioid Remediation Settlement Advisory Committee to review any existing materials about the committee’s recommendations and timeline. Having read the background information will make you a more informed participant and will help you ask targeted questions about implementation details.
Moving forward, watch for the RFP announcement expected in 2026. Once the RFP is released, organizations and community members will have an opportunity to comment or propose projects. If you represent a nonprofit or service provider, preparing a proposal will be the most concrete way to direct settlement dollars. If you’re a community member, monitoring the RFP evaluation process and attending any subsequent public meetings ensures accountability for how the county spends the funds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to attend one of the in-person sessions, or can I submit written comments instead?
The county has not explicitly posted an alternative written comment submission process as of the announcement, but it’s worth calling the St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services department to ask if written comments will be accepted. Virtual attendance via pre-registration is confirmed as an option.
How much money is being spent on these listening sessions, and how will the county fund them?
The listening sessions are part of the committee’s planning process and are typically funded from administrative costs, which do not come directly out of the settlement funds being allocated to programs. This keeps more settlement dollars available for actual harm reduction and criminal justice programs.
What if I disagree with the committee’s recommendation to focus on harm reduction and criminal justice? Can I propose other uses for the funds?
You can certainly state your view at the listening sessions, but the committee’s recommendation is based on the settlement agreement terms and legal constraints around how opioid settlement funds can be used. Proposing something entirely outside harm reduction and criminal justice intervention is unlikely to be adopted, but you have the right to advocate for your position.
Will the sessions be recorded, and if I can’t attend, can I watch them later?
The announcements do not specify whether sessions will be recorded or transcribed. Contact the county directly to ask if recordings will be made available to the public.
When will funding be distributed to the selected programs?
The county is targeting project selection by early winter 2026, but the exact timeline for disbursement to selected programs has not been announced. This is another good question to raise at the listening sessions.
How can I stay updated on the RFP process and final funding decisions after the listening sessions?
Subscribe to updates from the St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services department, visit the Opioid Remediation Settlement Advisory Committee page regularly, and consider asking at the listening sessions for email updates on the RFP release and selection timeline.
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