Rockingham County commissioners received an update on opioid‑abatement settlement distributions at their Sept. 4 meeting. Staff said the county is expected to receive more than $400,000 in the latest distribution round and reviewed how the funds are being tracked and reported.

County officials described the state’s process for distributing settlement funds and noted that the state has already authorized a large portion of the money it received to programs including housing and treatment. Officials encouraged municipalities and counties to consult the state’s public reporting site for details on distributions and projects by searching “opioid abatement New Hampshire.”

Why this matters: opioid‑abatement settlement funds are intended to support treatment, recovery and related services; counties and towns that received direct distributions must report annually to the Attorney General under the settlement arrangement and meet 14 specified criteria for eligible uses.

Details from the meeting: a county official said the state has received $97 million and authorized approximately $77 million through the Bartlett group for various programs; county staff added that Rockingham’s running total from its share and grants is over $2 million plus a separate $2 million grant received earlier. Commissioners were reminded that each jurisdiction that received a distribution must submit usage reports to the attorney general’s office for certification and that Sept. 1 had been a reporting deadline for certain submissions.

Discussion vs. decisions: the board received information; no funding‑allocation vote was recorded at the Sept. 4 public meeting. Staff said some municipalities had questions about the reporting process and that state webpages list awards and project details.

Ending: staff said they would continue to work with municipalities and the state to ensure compliance with reporting requirements and to identify programmatic uses for the funds.