Newark City
Newark reports 3,918,325.00 in opioid settlement money received, and each of its last three reports states a balance on hand its own figures do not support, while its FY2026 report leaves 122,485.19 of spending in no program.
Published 10/03/2026
TLDR
- Newark has reported 3,918,325.00 in opioid settlement money received since 2022.
- Its FY2026 report says 1,075,666.21 is on hand. By its own figures it should be 2,650,976.54. The report does not say where 1,575,310.33 went.
- The FY2025 and FY2024 balances are short too, by 1,470,266.88 and 1,269,308.75.
- The FY2026 report certifies 440,715.30 spent. Its one program and its administrative line explain 318,230.11.
- That one program reports the same 136,526.03 and the same client counts as the year before, to the cent and to the person.
- The City reports receiving nothing in FY2026.
- The City has not produced a ledger.
Summary
Newark City, Essex County, reported receiving 3,918,325.00 in opioid settlement money 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 City has told the State it spent 610,354.20 over four years. This project has no ledger for the City's settlement money. No account record has been produced, so the books cannot be checked against the reports. The findings rest on the reports' own figures. Read the City's findings.
What the City told the State
| Report | Received in the year | Received since 2022 | Spent | Encumbered | Administrative | On hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 186,571.44 | 186,571.44 | 0.00 | not asked | 0.00 | not asked |
| FY2024 | 1,316,808.31 | 1,503,379.75 | 33,112.87 | 47,500.00 | 0.00 | 153,458.13 |
| FY2025 | 2,414,945.25 | 3,918,325.00 | 136,526.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,278,419.22 |
| FY2026 | 0.00 | 3,918,325.00 | 440,715.30 | 656,994.26 | 181,704.08 | 1,075,666.21 |
Each report certifies 0.00 of interest. The received totals add up from year to year to the cent.
The FY2023 report names one program, the Newark Behavioral Health and Wellness Program, run by the Department of Health and Community Wellness at its Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Center. It was funded at 186,570.00 on 9/25/23 for substance use disorder treatment, counseling and detox bed stays, with a tentative launch of 12/01/2023. No later report mentions it.
The FY2024 report names a new program, the Mobile Street Medicine Initiative, run by the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services. It pairs addiction counselors with street outreach workers and contracts with the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School for a psychiatric nurse practitioner and a peer recovery specialist. The report gives its funding at 422,500.00. Every later report carries only this program.
The balances
The FY2024 report certifies 1,503,379.75 received, 33,112.87 spent and 47,500.00 committed. That leaves 1,422,766.88. The report certifies 153,458.13 on hand. FY2024 balance 1,269,308.75 below the report's own figures.
The FY2025 report certifies 3,918,325.00 received since 2022 and 169,638.90 spent across the reports so far. That leaves 3,748,686.10. The report certifies 2,278,419.22 on hand. That is the FY2025 receipts less the FY2025 spending, to the cent. Every dollar received before 07/01/2024 is missing from it. FY2025 balance leaves out 1,470,266.88 received earlier.
The FY2026 report certifies the same 3,918,325.00 received, 440,715.30 spent and 656,994.26 committed. With the earlier spending, that leaves 2,650,976.54. The report certifies 1,075,666.21 on hand. Counting the administrative expense on top of the spending still leaves 1,393,606.25 unexplained. FY2026 balance 1,575,310.33 below the report's own figures.
The FY2024 program
The FY2024 report certifies 47,500.00 encumbered. Its only program reports 59,375.00 encumbered. The program spent 33,112.87 in the year, all of the City's certified spending. It was funded on 1/1/2024. Its launch date is 9/10/2024, after the year closed. FY2024 program encumbered 11,875.00 more than the total.
FY2026
The State published the City's FY2026 report on 10/01/2026. It covers 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026. It certifies 0.00 received, 440,715.30 spent, 656,994.26 encumbered and 181,704.08 of administrative expenses. It describes the administrative expense as a social worker and a substance abuse counselor paired with homeless street outreach workers. The FY2024 report described that pairing as the program itself.
The report lists one program, the Mobile Street Medicine Initiative, at 136,526.03. The FY2025 report gave the same figure. Both reports list 567 participants served, 38 prescriptions, 1,060 encounters, 182 referrals, 58 psychiatric evaluations, 74 people placed in emergency housing and 199 people taken to a drop-in center.
The program and the administrative expense come to 318,230.11. The other 122,485.19 of certified spending sits in no program. The report's statement of goals says the City invested in transitional housing. No program block describes it. FY2026 report leaves 122,485.19 of spending in no program.
What the record does not show
The City has produced no ledger. Its last three reports give balances that do not follow from their own figures. Only the account that holds the money can show what was received, what was spent, on what, and what remains. That record is owed.
How this project classifies spending is set out in the methodology and the rubric. Corrections follow the corrections policy.