PENDLETON — Local officials and Community Counseling Solutions plan on using funds from opioid lawsuit settlements to hire a position to help opioid abusers navigate criminal cases in municipal courts.

Lawsuit settlements with opioids manufacturers and distributors have made funds available to states, counties and cities with populations more than 10,000 for opioid abuse prevention, treatment and recovery. Umatilla and Morrow counties, Hermiston and Pendleton collectively should receive about $2.8 million during the 18-year term of the existing distributors and manufacturer agreements. Other settlements may be reached.

Umatilla County and Pendleton officials met Dec. 14 with Community Counseling Solutions Executive Director Kimberly Lindsay to discuss how to use the local share of the funds.

Umatilla County board Chair John Shafer said the group was “pretty quick” to reach a consensus.

“No vote was taken, but we agreed on how ultimately to spend the opioids settlement money,” he said. “We adopted Dale Primmer’s idea to use the funds to hire a ‘tracker.'”

Primmer is a Pendleton city councilor and the director of Umatilla County Community Corrections. The job would require helping opioid abusers navigate criminal cases in municipal courts.

“A tracker would make sure defendants kept their court dates and guide them through the process,” Shafer said. “It should reduce recidivism. We know it does at circuit court level. It helps with follow through and getting treatment.”

The position is akin to a peer mentor in drug treatment programs. Shafer said Commissioner George Murdock, who retries at the end of the year, suggested “navigator” rather than tracker.

“I’ll miss George’s word smithing abilities, and much else,” Shafer said,

The county and its two cities eligible for settlement funds — Pendleton and Hermiston — plan to combine forces. Smaller cities also also benefit through the county. CCS is slated to manage the position.