Hudson County
Hudson County has received 2,074,303.13 in opioid settlement money since 2022, has told the State it spent 362.34 of it, and has produced no ledger to show what the fund holds.
Published 10/03/2026
TLDR
- Hudson County says it has received 2,074,303.13 in opioid settlement money since 2022.
- In four years it has told the State it spent 362.34. The report ties it to a survey translated into Spanish and Arabic.
- It reports no funded program in any year.
- The FY2024 report counts 16,229.67 of interest. The money on hand that year leaves it out. Nothing was spent to explain the gap.
- From FY2025 on, the County's total received leaves out the same 16,229.67.
- The County has produced no ledger. Every figure here comes from its own reports.
The fund grew by more than 2 million dollars. The spending came to 362.34.
Summary
Hudson County filed all four of its reports to the Department of Human Services, FY2023 through FY2026. The money must go to the abatement uses the national settlements list, or to documented evidence-based programs that address the epidemic. Exhibit E is not exhaustive. Either way the money must add to local spending, not replace it.
The County has produced no ledger for its settlement money. No account record, purchase order or invoice is on file. This project cannot test any figure against the books, and the County is not graded. A ledger is owed. Read the County's findings.
What the County received
| Fiscal year | Received in the year | Interest | Total received to date, as certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 393,699.81 | not asked | 393,699.81 |
| FY2024 | 785,365.82 | 16,229.67 | 1,195,295.30 |
| FY2025 | 460,008.16 | 0.00 | 1,639,073.79 |
| FY2026 | 435,229.34 | 0.00 | 2,074,303.13 |
The FY2024 interest figure answers a question about all interest since 2022. The FY2025 and FY2026 figures answer for the year only. The County reports no interest on a fund of more than 1.6 million dollars in either of those years.
The FY2025 total is the FY2024 total less the 16,229.67 of interest, plus the year's receipts. Carried forward with the interest, it would be 1,655,303.46. The FY2026 total carries the lower figure forward. FY2025 total received leaves out 16,229.67 of interest.
What it told the State each year
| Fiscal year | Certified expended | Certified administrative | Certified encumbered | Certified on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 0.00 | 0.00 | not asked | not asked |
| FY2024 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,179,065.63 |
| FY2025 | 362.34 | 362.34 | 0.00 | 1,638,711.45 |
| FY2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,073,940.79 |
The FY2023 report says the County has an Opioid Settlement Advisory Council. It has no strategic plan and no risk assessment. It plans a survey, a town hall meeting and focus groups.
The FY2024 report certifies nothing spent and no funded programs. It says the County intends to distribute a survey. It certifies 1,179,065.63 on hand. The same page certifies 1,195,295.30 received, interest included, and nothing has ever been spent. The on hand figure is 16,229.67 lower, the interest exactly. FY2024 on hand figure leaves out 16,229.67 of interest.
The FY2025 report certifies 362.34 spent, all of it administrative. It describes the expense as an opioid settlement survey translated into Spanish and Arabic. It reports no new programs. It answers that the County engaged the public before deciding how to use the money, then describes the survey and listening sessions in the future tense.
The FY2026 report certifies nothing spent and no funded programs. It says the survey drew very low responses and will be sent again. It says the County released a Request for Proposal in three areas: a provider capacity assessment, a public education campaign and community outreach. No award appears in any report. The County certifies 2,073,940.79 on hand, its total received less the 362.34.
What the records show
The records on file are the four reports. Across them the County has received 2,074,303.13 and certified 362.34 spent. It has reported no funded program in any year. The 16,229.67 of interest it reported in FY2024 drops out of its balance that year and out of its total received from FY2025 on. The reports do not say where it went.
What should happen
The County can produce the ledger for its settlement account, with the record of the 362.34 paid in FY2025 and the interest the fund has earned. It can state what the fund actually holds.
The State relies on these reports to verify compliance. The Department of Human Services and the Office of the State Comptroller should examine the reports, who prepared them, and what records support them.
How this project classifies spending is set out in the methodology and the rubric. Corrections follow the corrections policy.