Lawrence Township
Lawrence Township has spent 25,818.20 of its settlement money on a Camp Fire school program and one JCM Associates order, and its reports contradict themselves and its books in every year since FY2024.
Published 10/03/2026
TLDR
- Lawrence Township has paid two vendors from its settlement accounts. Camp Fire Boys and Girls got 15,400.00 for a school prevention program. JCM Associates got 10,418.20 for one order of 48 lines.
- The FY2026 report certifies 10,418.20 spent. The same report says none was spent. The books show check 3628 paid it on 07/02/2025.
- The FY2024 report says the Township had 96,901.80 on hand. It says the Township had received 86,418.66 in all.
- The FY2025 report told the State nothing was encumbered on 06/30/2025. The JCM order, 10,418.20, was open that day. The Township paid it two days later.
- The FY2024 report told the State 7,871.89 was encumbered. No order of any kind was open.
- The FY2026 report certifies the JCM order as the Police Department's LEAD school drug prevention program. 317.80 of it bought shirts.
Summary
Lawrence Township, Mercer County, State ID NJ108, reported receiving 144,073.69 in opioid settlement money, interest included, through 06/30/2026. 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 Township produced four Budget Detail Inquiry prints, one for each year's settlement account, all printed 06/08/2026. They show 25,818.20 paid. That is 17.9 percent of what the Township reports receiving.
| Payee | Purchase | Paid | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Fire Boys and Girls | 25 sessions, order 25-00996, check 3615 | 05/22/2025 | 15,400.00 |
| JCM Associates | 48 lines, order 25-01500, check 3628 | 07/02/2025 | 10,418.20 |
| Paid through 06/08/2026 | 25,818.20 |
This project classifies the four JCM shirt lines, 317.80, as non-conforming. Apparel is not among the uses Exhibit E lists. The other 10,100.40 of the JCM order and the Camp Fire payment are unverified. No produced record shows opioid content for either.
What the Township told the State
| Year | Certified spent | Certified encumbered | Spent per the books |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 0.00 | none asked | 0.00 |
| FY2024 | 0.00 | 7,871.89 | 0.00 |
| FY2025 | 15,400.00 | 0.00 | 15,400.00 |
| FY2026 | 10,418.20 | 28,043.32 | 10,418.20 |
Every spent figure ties to the books in the right year. The encumbered figures for FY2024 and FY2025 do not. The on-hand figures for FY2024, FY2025 and FY2026 do not follow from the reports' own numbers.
FY2023
The FY2023 report lists 32,014.93 received as of 06/30/2023 and 0.00 expended. It names one planned program, Camp Fire elementary school programming, at about 24,000.00, "Still in planning phase." The books show no payment until 05/22/2025.
FY2024
The FY2024 report covers 07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024. It lists 54,059.13 received in the year and 86,418.66 since 2022. It certifies 0.00 expended and 7,871.89 appropriated or encumbered but not yet spent. It answers No to funding any program.
The books show no order on either opioid account at 06/30/2024. Account G-02-41-210-299 carries only its 22,679.34 budget until 04/15/2025. Account G-02-41-232-299 carries only its 12,292.12 budget until 05/23/2025. The two budgets were unspent and stood at 34,971.46 together. Neither one, nor their sum, is 7,871.89. Certified 7,871.89 encumbered with no order on the books.
The same report lists 96,901.80 unspent on hand. The 86,418.66 it says the Township had received already includes the 344.60 of interest. Nothing had been spent. The on-hand figure is 10,483.14 more than everything received. Reported 96,901.80 on hand after receiving 86,418.66.
FY2025
The FY2025 report covers 07/01/2024 to 06/30/2025. It lists 31,663.76 received in the year and 119,710.64 since 2022, interest included. It certifies 15,400.00 expended and 0.00 encumbered.
The one program is Safe and Sure and Count on Me Kids, two Camp Fire Boys and Girls programs for children through 8th grade, at 15,400.00. The report says the settlement money expanded programs the municipal alliance already funded to more schools and grades. Check 3615 paid Camp Fire 15,400.00 for 25 sessions on 05/22/2025. It makes the certified figure to the cent. School-based prevention is among the uses Exhibit E lists. The order text reads 25 SESSIONS. No contract, invoice or course material was produced to show the sessions carry opioid content, so this project classifies the payment as unverified. The report says the municipal alliance already funds Camp Fire in some schools. No vendor history was produced to show whether settlement money replaced that funding.
On 05/23/2025 the Township encumbered purchase order 25-01500 to JCM Associates for 10,418.20. Check 3628 paid it on 07/02/2025. On 06/30/2025 the whole order was open. The report certifies 0.00 encumbered. Certified 0.00 encumbered with a 10,418.20 order open.
The report lists 104,973.78 unspent on hand. It certifies 119,710.64 received and, across three reports, 15,400.00 spent. That leaves 104,310.64. Reported 663.14 more on hand than receipts less spending.
FY2026
The State published the Township's FY2026 report on 10/01/2026. It covers 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026. It lists 21,462.07 received in the year, 2,900.98 of interest and 144,073.69 since 2022. It certifies 10,418.20 spent, 28,043.32 appropriated or encumbered and 108,466.33 unspent on hand. The Chief of Police is named as the official who decided how to spend the money.
The one program is LEAD (Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence), recipient the Lawrence Township Police Department, at 10,418.20. The report files it under Primary Prevention, Education, and Training. It describes youth drug education taught in schools by the juvenile detective and school resource officers. It gives the funding date as 7/2/2025, the launch date as 1/1/2025 and the number of individuals served as 0.
The 10,418.20 is the JCM Associates order, check 3628 of 07/02/2025, to the cent. Its 48 lines split across two accounts.
| Lines | Account | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 39 | G-02-41-210-299 | 7,279.34 |
| 40 to 48, with 472.00 shipping | G-02-41-232-299 | 3,138.86 |
| Total | 10,418.20 |
Four lines name garments, a quarter zip shirt at 104.00, a long sleeve tee at 43.80 and two lines of T-shirts at 85.00 each. Together they come to 317.80. No record describes a LEAD curriculum or distribution that the garments serve. Certified 317.80 of shirts as school drug prevention. Forty-two lines carry catalog numbers only. No produced record shows what the numbered items are or how the program uses them. This project classifies those lines as unverified.
Asked which resources it used to decide how to spend the money, the report answers "None was spent during this period. Funds have been spent in August 2026 and will be reported in the next reporting period." The same report certifies 10,418.20 spent in the period, and the books show it left on 07/02/2025. Certified 10,418.20 spent and said none was spent.
The 28,043.32 equals the adopted budget of the 2026 settlement account, G-02-41-275-299, entered 04/27/2026. No order stands against it through 06/08/2026. Question 7 asks what the Township appropriated or encumbered, so an unspent appropriation answers it.
The report lists 108,466.33 on hand. Its own figures give 144,073.69 received, 25,818.20 spent across four reports and 28,043.32 committed. That leaves 90,212.17, or 118,255.49 before the commitment. Neither is 108,466.33. Reported 108,466.33 on hand, its own figures give 90,212.17.
What the records show
The Township has paid 25,818.20 from settlement accounts that it reports took in 144,073.69. The Camp Fire payment ties to the books, but no record shows what the sessions taught. The JCM order is certified to the State as a police school program. Part of it bought shirts, and the record does not show what the rest bought. The FY2026 report says both that 10,418.20 was spent and that nothing was. In FY2024 and FY2025 the encumbrance figure does not match the books. In FY2024, FY2025 and FY2026 the on-hand figure does not follow from the report's own numbers.
How this project classifies spending is set out in the methodology and the rubric. Corrections follow the corrections policy.