HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County commissioners on Thursday named a committee to make recommendations on how to spend the county’s allocations from the National Opioid Settlement.

While some counties formed advisory committees more than a year ago, Blair County commissioners tried other tactics, then appointed a committee Thursday.

Their action comes after the state trust that oversees the spending of settlement dollars denied Blair County’s allocation of $322,734 to cover salaries, benefits and expenses associated with the county’s Drug Court program.

Based on rules associated with the settlement, counties are supposed to spend their allocations on remediation measures that include training, treatment, prevention and research. The trust reviewing spending reports has deemed law enforcement type of expenses to be ineligible.

Commissioner Laura Burke said Thursday that the idea of forming an opioid settlement committee developed after she recently learned that the county had little chance of success if it appealed the trust’s decision.

So the newly appointed committee will initially have to come up with recommendations for reallocating $322,734 to be spent by the end of December, to meet the deadline associated with last year’s settlement distribution.

Burke acknowledged the short time frame for the committee but said those appointed have familiarity with the area’s needs.

Commissioners appointed and designated Trisha Johnson, director of the county’s social services department, to chair the committee.

Committee members are Joe Cox, chief juvenile probation officer; Drew Yingling, chair of the Altoona Area School District counseling department; Amy-Martin Shanafelt, executive director of Blair Health Choices; Coleen Heim, former director of the Healthy Blair County Coalition; and Judy Rosser, director of the Blair County Drug and Alcohol Partnerships.

During Thursday’s meeting, Commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling presented the motion to form the committee with the listed members, drawing a unanimous vote from Burke and Commissioner Amy Webster.

Prior to Thursday’s meeting, commissioners hadn’t talked publicly about forming a committee or potential appointments. In March, they hosted a meeting where at least 15 attendees offered comments on how the county could spend opioid settlement allocations to be dispersed over several years.

During Thursday’s meeting, Kessling acknowledged the ongoing interest in how the county’s opioid settlement money will be spent. He indicated that commissioners have been gathering information and talking to those in other counties.

“We felt, as a board, that this was the best way to distribute this money … was to essentially have a committee of individuals from the community who will review and make suggestions and recommendations on how best this money is to be spent,” Kessling said.

The committee’s recommendations are expected to be forwarded to commissioners for review and approval, with all expenditures subject to further review by the state trust.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is 814-946-7456.