Michigan Opioid Settlement Money Still Sitting in Bank Accounts Three Years Later Across West Michigan

Settlement Funds Await Deployment in Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and Beyond

More than three years after Michigan communities began receiving millions of dollars to fight the opioid epidemic, some have yet to spend a dime. The funds are meant to help mitigate the continued harm of the opioid crisis, which as recently as 2023 killed nearly 3,000 Michiganders, an estimated 80 percent of whom died from opioid-related causes.

While overdose deaths declined by a third to 1,938 in 2024, the last year for which the state has complete data, the number of Michigan residents dying from drugs was still higher than the number who died in car crashes.

Despite the crisis, some local governments are only now preparing to begin disbursing funds to community groups that help those battling addiction.

Grand Traverse County Has Nearly $2 Million Still in Bank

One West Michigan county that has yet to spend any funds is Grand Traverse County, where Traverse City is located, which has about $2 million from the settlement in the bank and is expected to receive $6.2 million overall.

It's taken time to figure out how to use the one-time funds to best address the crisis, Grand Traverse County Health Officer Mike Lahey told Bridge Michigan.

"I think some localities, while appreciating the funds, were like, now what?" Lahey said. "It was a new source of money with new types of parameters around it."

Statewide Accounting Shows Slow Spending

It's unclear how much of the settlement funds distributed to Michigan communities since 2023 have been spent. A 2024 investigation by Bridge Michigan provided the first statewide accounting of how communities were handling those funds.

That investigation found that more than 40 percent of communities had not spent any funds, with about $90 million sitting in bank accounts.

That closely matched the findings of a survey conducted in the spring of 2025 by the Michigan Association of Counties. Of the 36 counties that responded, 40 percent had yet to open their checkbooks.

That was an improvement from 2024, when a similar survey found 51 percent hadn't spent money.

Expert Frustration Over Deliberative Process

Jonathan Stoltman of the Grand Rapids-based Opioid Policy Institute expressed frustration with the pace of spending.

"If there was some deliberative process that took three years, that's too long," Stoltman said. "Money needs to get out the door."

Michigan Soon May Have More Authoritative Accounting

Michigan soon may have a more authoritative accounting. The Michigan Department of Attorney General has asked counties, townships and cities receiving opioid settlement funds to report how they've been spent.

Those findings are expected to be released this spring, according to Danny Wimmer, a spokesperson for Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Eaton County Still in Planning Stage

Eaton County is among communities yet to distribute funds. The county, which is receiving about $300,000 annually, has developed a strategic plan and a community assessment to identify gaps in mitigation efforts.

"We are still in a planning/assessing/collecting RFPs stage," Logan Bailey, director of public and governmental affairs for the county, said in an email to Bridge Michigan.

Mason County Still Determining How to Use Funds

Mason County, which is expected to receive $1,911,307.15 over 18 years, local officials are still in the early stages of determining how funds will be used, as reported by the Ludington Daily News.

A county opioid steering committee formed in February is tasked with developing recommendations for spending but does not have final authority over how the money will be allocated.

"If there was some deliberative process that took three years, that's too long," Stoltman said. "Money needs to get out the door."

Other West Michigan Counties Still Awaiting Distribution

Isabella County, which has $1.1 million in settlement funds in the bank, expects to spend its first settlement funds in 2026.

Schoolcraft County in the Upper Peninsula is just now forming a committee to make spending recommendations.

Concerns About Rushed Spending

Mayor Lori Stone of Warren said some officials might be anxious to push dollars out without fully considering community needs.

Warren had $2.9 million in opioid settlement funds in the bank as of October and had not disbursed any.

"There are those who are anxious to push dollars out without fully considering community needs, process, best practices or long-term impact," Mayor Lori Stone said in an October news release.

The Crisis Continues

The opioid crisis remains a severe challenge for West Michigan communities. While the settlement provides crucial resources, the slow pace of deployment means many at-risk individuals and families may still be without the help they desperately need.

The Michigan Opioid Advisory Commission continues to work on addressing the crisis, but experts say the window for effective intervention is narrowing.

What Happens Next

As the Attorney General's report is released this spring, it will provide transparency into how taxpayer dollars meant to combat the opioid crisis are being deployed across Michigan.

Communities that have yet to spend their allocated funds face pressure from state leaders and advocates to move quickly. The hope is that funds will be deployed to programs that have proven effectiveness in reducing opioid deaths and helping those struggling with addiction.

The opioid settlement represents one of the largest such payments in Michigan history, but it is only one piece of the broader solution to a multifaceted public health crisis that has devastated communities from Grand Rapids to Traverse City to Kalamazoo and beyond.