Hackensack

Summary

Hackensack, Bergen County, reported receiving 447,110.77 in opioid settlement money through 06/30/2025. The money must go to the abatement uses the national settlements list, or to documented evidence-based programs that address the epidemic. It must add to local spending, not replace it. The listed uses cover treatment, recovery, connection to care, prevention and harm reduction.

The City keeps the money in one account, G-02-41-836-000-000, National Opioid Settlement. Its audit trail runs from 01/01/2018 to 09/01/2026. The first charge is dated 08/12/2024. Through 09/01/2026 the account shows 117,518.13 expended and 13,369.24 on open orders. The balance was 388,143.61, with 25 percent of the appropriation used.

This project classifies 35,139.78 of the spending as conforming, 30,838.80 as non-conforming and 51,539.55 as unverified. The conforming money paid stipends and buses for high school students at the Elks peer leadership conference and two prevention presentations. The non-conforming money paid Youth Academy apparel, giveaways, food, entertainment and police vehicle graphics. The unverified money includes a police wellness app, administrative stipends, officer travel and training, and prevention pamphlets. Read the City's findings.

What the City told the State

The FY2023 report certifies 107,394.46 received and 0.00 expended. It lists one program, a Hackensack City and HUMC Opioid Addiction and Education Partnership, funded at 124,000.00 and approved 01/01/2023. The FY2024 report certifies 0.00 expended and says the City "decided to not proceed with this program." No payment to the medical center or any health care provider appears on the account.

The FY2025 report is the first to certify spending.

Every charge to the account between 07/01/2024 and 06/30/2025 sums to 40,295.42 to the cent. The only open order on 06/30/2025 was the Cordico police wellness app at 12,800.00, the certified encumbrance. The 10,000.00 of administration equals one stipend journal and two stipend checks. FY2025 spending total ties the ledger to the cent.

The totals match. The question is what the two program figures say the money bought.

The Elks conference

The FY2025 report certifies 17,518.78 for the NJ Elks Leadership Conference. It names the New Jersey State Elks Association as the recipient and gives 02/07/2025 as the funding date and the launch date. It describes a statewide prevention conference for high school students.

Four purchase orders make the figure to the cent. No other combination of the year's nine program orders does.

The Positive Promotions order was placed on 07/22/2024 and the Amazon order on 08/30/2024. Neither mentions the conference. The Elks received 7,700.00 of the 17,518.78 the City certified as a conference paid to the Elks. Certified giveaways as the Elks leadership conference.

The stipends and the buses are a youth prevention program, and this project counts them as conforming. The City paid the 2025 conference fee itself, 2,310.00, from its Municipal Alliance grant, as it had in 2018 through 2020 and 2022 through 2024, and did again in 2026.

The police program

The second program is the Hackensack Police Department Law Enforcement Against Drugs (LEAD) Program and Youth Academy. The report certifies it at 12,776.65 under Primary Prevention, Education, and Training. It says the funding covers "program materials, supplies, and instructional support."

The five program orders left once the conference figure is taken out total 12,776.64, one cent less.

Apart from the two registrations, none of the orders buys instruction or curriculum. Police prevention program paid for apparel and giveaways.

The Youth Academy apparel

The Police Department runs a Youth Academy each summer. The City's TRUST-DARE account paid Some's Uniforms for the Youth Academy's clothing for years.

The 2023 order bought tactical polo shirts, tactical pants at 1,375.00, caps, Youth Academy shorts and Youth Academy shirts. The 2024 order on the settlement account bought polo shirts, tactical pants at 1,375.00, logo shirts and academy shorts.

The trust kept paying the Youth Academy's plaques, brochures and lunches in 2024 and 2025. It held 4,526.84 when the 2024 apparel order was placed and 1,514.52 when the 2025 order was placed. Both orders cost more. Section D(7) of the agreement between the State and its towns requires the money to supplement local spending and not supplant it. The settlement money carried a cost the City had paid from its own trust. Moved Youth Academy apparel off the DARE trust to the fund.

Giveaways, food and games

Through 09/01/2026 the account paid 17,410.30 for giveaways, displays, food and entertainment.

The giveaways include 500 promotional sunglasses, 250 superhero capes, 250 pumpkin strobes, earbuds and beach balls. No record ties them, or the youth nights, to the L.E.A.D. curriculum or to any other evidence-based program. Paid 17,410.30 for giveaways, ice cream, pizza and games.

The LEAD vehicle

Sign-A-Rama does the City's police vehicle graphics. The City charged that work to its police vehicle repair line, a public safety grant, a forfeiture trust and a capital ordinance. On 02/10/2026 it charged graphics for police cars to the repair line. Nine days later it charged 1,850.00 of LEAD vehicle graphics to the settlement account. The account also paid Courthouse Auto Body 3,870.85 for body work, paint and parts on the LEAD vehicle. Charged police vehicle graphics to the fund.

Stipends

The FY2025 report describes its administrative expense as annual stipends paid to two program coordinators. The account paid one individual 12,500.00 by four checks. Three budget journals charged another 7,500.00. One of them, dated 06/05/2026, reads "move Opioid stipend exp to Opioid Grant." None of the journals names a payee or the account the expense came from. Three 2,500.00 stipend journals name no payee.

The FY2024 balance

The FY2024 report certifies 321,628.56 received since 2022 and nothing spent. It certifies 384,017.82 unspent on hand. That is 62,389.26 more than the City says it ever received. FY2024 report lists more on hand than the City received.

FY2026

The FY2026 report covers 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026. Its totals tie to the books again.

A 12,800.00 renewal of the Cordico app has been open since 08/13/2026. FY2026 spending total ties the ledger to the cent.

The police program page certifies 21,224.01 for the year. The program's own description says the money covers program materials, supplies and instructional support. The report does not list the purchases. Of the year's 21 orders and journals, one set of whole orders makes 21,224.01 to the cent.

None of these orders buys instruction or curriculum. No overdose program using the vehicle is documented. Certified police vehicle work and giveaways as prevention.

What should happen

The account has paid 30,838.80 that this project counts as non-conforming. The Youth Academy apparel, 11,578.50, is the kind of order the City's own DARE trust paid for in earlier years. The LEAD vehicle graphics, 1,850.00, are work the City charged to police and other funds before and after. The giveaways, food and entertainment, 17,410.30, are not among the uses Exhibit E lists, and no evidence-based program using them is documented. The City can restore that money to the fund and spend it on a listed use or a documented abatement program.

The City can document the unverified 51,539.55, starting with what the Cordico app, the stipends and the officers' L.E.A.D. travel paid for. Until it does, the open Cordico renewal can be cancelled against this account.

The State relies on these reports to verify compliance. The Department of Human Services should examine how the FY2025 program figures were assigned, and what records support them.

How this project classifies spending is set out in the methodology and the rubric. Corrections follow the corrections policy.