White County budget panel approves $140,000 in opioid‑settlement awards including $50,000 to Seeds of Hope

White County’s budget committee on April 21 approved the appropriation of $140,000 from opioid‑settlement proceeds and voted to route individual awards to the full commission for final approval.

The committee voted to set aside two larger grants of $50,000 each and several smaller awards. The items the committee approved to send to full court were: $50,000 to Seeds of Hope to support a drug‑free temporary shelter and guest services; $3,600 for a school vaping‑education program; $9,990 to pay annual subscription fees for the sheriff’s PowerDMS community‑engagement (“Shield/Engage”) tool (the motion was amended to be contingent on approval from the county 9‑1‑1/dispatch system); and $36,000 to convert a part‑time case manager at the Tennessee Community Service Agency’s family‑treatment program to full time through the rest of the calendar year.

Budget Executive Dean Wayne Robinson told the committee he planned to appropriate the entire $140,000 to allow disbursement as applications were approved. "This money is most definitely needed," said Tina Lomax, representing Seeds of Hope, describing the organization as a local nonprofit shelter that is 100% drug free and will use the funds for staffing, food and holistic care. "This funding will allow us to…" Lomax said, adding an invitation for commissioners to visit the facility.

Nate, a sheriff’s department representative, described the PowerDMS product as a background integration with CAD and 9‑1‑1 that can send follow‑up surveys to cell numbers used on dispatch calls and provide both community feedback and officer resources. He said the vendor reduced the quote to $9,990 to fit the committee’s grant tiers, and noted the expense is a recurring annual contract.

Tennessee Community Service Agency representative Laura Spencer (spelling per packet) explained the agency’s family‑treatment court work, said the program meets twice monthly, and asked for $36,000 to make a case manager full time and provide direct assistance to participants (transportation, ignition interlock, licensing fees). Spencer said the agency also had applied for a larger, competitive opioid abatement grant and that any award there would reduce future county requests.

The committee approved the appropriation of the $140,000 and individually approved forwarding the four proposals listed above to full court for final action. Committee members clarified that the sheriff’s PowerDMS award would go forward only after 9‑1‑1 confirms technical integration, and the school vaping program will be confirmed before full‑court appropriation whether it functions as a diversion in lieu of citation.

The budget committee chair said the county will repeat the allocation process on a calendar‑year basis and expects to reissue funding requests for the 2026 cycle later in the year.