A letter from Manitowoc County’s Executive to County Board Supervisors explained why he feels a previously proposed opioid task force should not have been done.
Bob Ziegelbauer told board members that while Manitowoc County taxpayers were injured by the Opioid epidemic, the “Opioid Crisis” is mostly felt in the county’s Human Services Department.
Their budget has increased nearly 70% because of necessary increased expenses in Foster Care, Child Protective Services, Mental Health, and AODA.
Ziegelbauer called passing a resolution a danger because it creates among the public and well-intentioned nonprofit groups the expectation of new non-mandated programs.
The county executive continues saying, “Private groups are already lining up with their hands out to get some taxpayers’ money. This (the opioid task force), will result in less control by Manitowoc County and more taxpayer levy in the Human Services budget.”
Ziegelbauer finishes by saying the county is already budgeting the money they are getting from the opioid litigation very conservatively.
County Board Chairman Tyler Martell called claims for and against the task force unfounded and reached opposite conclusions about what the task force might have been in a Facebook post.
The Manitowoc County Board of Supervisors voted down the opioid task force at their monthly meeting last week (February 18th).
