Louisville Metro could use $8 million from lawsuit settlements with the pharmaceutical companies that fueled America’s opioid crisis to cover existing expenses.
Mayor Craig Greenberg has proposed using the opioid settlement funds to cover costs at the city’s 911 call center, jail and other agencies that have previously been paid by tax dollars.
Currently, 13 states ban or restrict this practice, known as budget supplantation, when dealing with settlement money, according to Johns Hopkins University. That’s because using opioid settlement funds to cover the costs of ongoing services comes with a tradeoff: It limits the amount of money available for providing additional resources to people struggling with addiction. Kentucky has no restrictions…