Town of Harrison
The Town of Harrison has reported 429,041.67 in opioid settlement money received and 47,228.89 spent, and its reports count a coordinator's salary as program spending while certifying no administrative cost.
Published 10/03/2026
TLDR
- Harrison has received 429,041.67 in opioid settlement money since 2022. By its own count it has spent 47,228.89.
- That is 11 percent. The other 381,810.78 sits on hand.
- The FY2024 report says 759.00 paid the Municipal Alliance Coordinator for managing all the programs. The same report says the Town spent nothing on administration.
- The FY2026 balance is 2.00 below what the Town's own figures give.
- Two programs ran in FY2026, the report says, but were paid for from other sources.
- The Town has not produced a ledger.
Summary
The Town of Harrison, Hudson County, reported receiving 429,041.67 in opioid settlement money through 06/30/2026, with no interest. 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 Town reports spending 47,228.89 over four years on small prevention classes, a drop-in center, police youth events and naloxone. This project has no ledger for the Town's settlement money. No account record has been produced, so the books cannot be checked against the reports. Its two findings rest on the reports' own figures. Read the Town's findings.
What the Town told the State
| Report | Received in the year | Received since 2022 | Spent | Encumbered | On hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 86,583.22 | 86,583.22 | 461.00 | not asked | not asked |
| FY2024 | 172,719.16 | 259,302.38 | 17,136.75 | 0.00 | 241,704.63 |
| FY2025 | 101,165.88 | 360,468.26 | 17,737.83 | 1,403.80 | 323,728.88 |
| FY2026 | 68,573.41 | 429,041.67 | 11,893.31 | 0.00 | 381,810.78 |
Each report certifies 0.00 administrative. Each report from FY2024 on certifies 0.00 interest. Each says the Town did not engage the public and has not completed a risk assessment.
The FY2023 report lists nine programs funded on 04/01/2023 at 86,500.00 in all. It says the amounts are budgets, not spending. The one expense it reports is 461.00 of impairment goggles under Law Enforcement Against Drugs, a police-taught prevention class for grades 4 to 8. Three of the nine programs never report any spending: Red Cross Narcan Training Online, training for first responders and school personnel, and the Elks Peer Leadership conference. The first responder training is described as helping responders "recognize and intervene in calls that may have the potential to lead to escalating violence." It does not mention overdose.
What the money was spent on
The later reports break the spending out by program. In each year the program lines add to the certified total to the cent.
| Program | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison East Newark Drop-In Center | 11,111.75 | 5,760.00 | 7,798.75 |
| Municipal Alliance Coordinator salary | 759.00 | ||
| BABES | 3,506.00 | 3,506.00 | 0.00 |
| Strengthening Families Academy | 1,760.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Older & Wiser | 3,811.04 | 0.00 | |
| Law Enforcement Against Drugs | 4,094.99 | 3,811.60 | |
| General Fund Treatment Services | 565.80 | 282.96 | |
| Total | 17,136.75 | 17,737.83 | 11,893.31 |
General Fund Treatment Services was described in FY2023 as treatment paid "directly to the contracted service provider." The spending reported under it is a Narcan purchase. No treatment provider payment is reported.
The FY2025 and FY2026 reports say Law Enforcement Against Drugs "incorporated national night out and junior police expenses." The only measure they give for it is "national night out and junior police." The FY2024 report says funds were available for the Police Department's Junior Police Academy and National Night Out. The reports do not say how much of the 7,906.59 went to those events. Only the Town's books can show that.
The FY2025 report gives BABES the same 3,506.00 and the same sentence it gave in FY2024. Its Strengthening Families Academy entry reports 0.00 spent beside the FY2024 sentence that 1,760.00 was spent. In FY2026 the Town reports that BABES sessions "happened, but were funded from other sources," and that Strengthening Families Academy "took place, but was funded from another source."
The coordinator salary
The FY2024 report certifies 17,136.75 spent and 0.00 on administration. Asked for details of administrative expenses, it answers "did not spend any." Its drop-in center entry says 11,111.75 went to the drop-in center and 759.00 "also went towards the Municipal Alliance Coordinator's salary, as she spends time managing and helping with all the programs." The 759.00 is inside the certified 17,136.75. The report counts salary for managing every program as program spending and certifies no administrative cost. FY2024 counts coordinator salary, says no admin spent.
The FY2026 balance
The four reports certify 429,041.67 received and 47,228.89 spent. The FY2026 report certifies nothing encumbered. That leaves 381,812.78. The report certifies 381,810.78 on hand, 2.00 less.
The FY2025 report had certified 1,403.80 encumbered. No later report says what became of it. Spent or released, it leaves the balance at 381,812.78. Still committed, it leaves 380,408.98. The printed figure is neither. FY2026 on hand balance is 2.00 below its own figures.
FY2026
The State published the Town's FY2026 report on 10/01/2026. It covers 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026. It certifies 68,573.41 received, 11,893.31 spent and 0.00 encumbered. The spending is the drop-in center at 7,798.75, Law Enforcement Against Drugs at 3,811.60 and Narcan at 282.96. Older & Wiser held no classes. The report says spending allocations have been decided for one to two years. It names a Town committee as the officials who decided.
What the record does not show
The Town has not produced a ledger. Its reports say 381,810.78 sits unspent after four years. Only the account that holds the money can show whether that is so, what the drop-in center and police events cost, and what became of the 1,403.80 encumbered in FY2025.
How this project classifies spending is set out in the methodology and the rubric. Corrections follow the corrections policy.