North Brunswick Township

Summary

North Brunswick Township, Middlesex County, told the State it had received 213,074.49 in opioid settlement money through 06/30/2025. The money must go to opioid abatement. Exhibit E Schedule B of the national settlements lists the uses.

The Township produced two opioid accounts, Opioid Police Funding and Opioid DPRCS Funding. Both were added on 07/01/2025. Together they paid 58,574.08 between 08/25/2025 and 04/07/2026. Of that, 51,639.00 bought a Ford Transit van for the Police Department. Another 771.24 bought food, 430.95 of it with no program named. The rest paid a prevention materials vendor, a mental health training and a youth prevention program.

The Township's reports to the State certify nothing spent in FY2023, FY2024 and FY2025. The books agree on spending. The reports do not agree with the books on what the Township held. The FY2024 report certifies more unspent money than the Township had received. The FY2025 report certifies an encumbrance for an order that did not yet exist.

Every dollar of spending falls in the year running 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026. The State published the FY2026 report on 10/01/2026. It certifies 58,574.08 spent, equal to the books. Its only program is a mental health first aid training that accounts for 5,832.23. The 51,639.00 van is counted in the total and described nowhere in the report.

The Township's provisional grade is F, 14.2. The rubric explains how grades are computed. All records are posted on the North Brunswick Township page.

How this report was prepared

The ledger, purchase order, bid, resolutions, vendor histories and bond ordinances were obtained from the Township under the Open Public Records Act. The reports to the State were obtained from the Department of Human Services. The police vehicle purchase history comes from a Township transaction export that is not posted here.

The van

Purchase order 26-02165 is dated 03/19/2026. It buys one 2025 Ford Transit van from Malouf Ford for 51,639.00. It ships to the Dept. of Public Safety and charges account G-02-24-130-006-888, Opioid Police Funding (purchase order). Check 89296 paid it on 03/23/2026. That check was voided on 03/24/2026, and check 89343 paid the same 51,639.00 the same day (ledger).

Bid invitation BID26002 asks for one 2025 Ford Transit van for the Police Department. Its 28 pages never use the words opioid, outreach, recovery, settlement or grant. It specifies no outreach, treatment or passenger program feature (bid).

Resolution 114-3.26, adopted 03/02/2026, awards the contract for a Van for Opioid Recovery Outreach Programs. The Chief Financial Officer certified the 51,639.00 available in grant account G-02-24-130-006-888 (resolution).

On 05/01/2026 the Township charged the 60.00 title fee for the van's VIN to its POLICE Vehicles line.

The FY2025 report told the State the Township planned to use the funds for Police Use, community awareness and Student training (FY2025 report). The bid, the purchase order and the title fee treat the van as a police vehicle. No outreach program using it is documented. A police vehicle is not among the uses Exhibit E lists. See the finding Paid 51,639.00 for a police van from settlement money.

The contract posted before the bids opened

The ledger for G-02-24-130-006-888 posts Contract BID26002 Res 114-03-2026 for 60,000.00 on 02/01/2026. The resolution recites that the two bids were received on 02/03/2026. The contract line was cut by 8,361.00 on 02/23/2026, leaving 51,639.00. The council adopted the award on 03/02/2026.

The bid specifies a Grey or Black exterior. The dealer order and the purchase order describe the van as White. The purchase order prints State Contract 40808, although the van was bought under BID26002. See the finding Van contract hit the books before the bids were opened.

Police vehicles in every other year

The Township bought police vehicles in every fiscal year from 2019 through 2026 with its own money. It used the POLICE Vehicles operating line, the FY2025 line Aquisition of Police Safety Vehicles and the truck purposes of annual bond ordinances 19-23 through 25-22. Each of those ordinances names Public Safety first.

Malouf Ford sold the Police Department a detective Ford Explorer on purchase order 26-01511. It was paid 01/05/2026 from the police vehicle line and Ordinance 24-12 (Malouf Ford vendor history). The FY2025 police vehicle line was fully committed by 01/07/2026. The FY2026 POLICE Vehicles line carries 0.00.

Malouf was then paid for the van from the opioid police account. After the van, the Township went back to its own money. Two Dodge Durangos on purchase order 26-01690 were paid 05/26/2026 and 08/24/2026 from the police vehicle line and Ordinance 25-22.

Reading the van as a fleet vehicle the Township would otherwise have paid for itself is our inference. It rests on this purchase history, the bid, the ship to address, the account name and the title charge. Section D(7) of the agreement between the State and its towns requires settlement money to supplement local spending and not supplant it. See the finding Police vehicles came from the budget in every other year.

Food

Account G-02-24-130-006-999, Opioid DPRCS Funding, paid for food four times (ledger).

The Chartwells and LUNCH 1/22 orders were encumbered 01/16/2026, the same day as the Empower Somerset adult mental health training of 1/22/26. The same Sam's Club order as the cheese tray carries 60.99 described OPIOID FUNDING -TRAINING. The record does not say whether the February food served the training. This project lists those three payments as unverified.

The 430.95 FOOD REFRESHMENT names no program, event or training, and none is documented. Food is not among the uses Exhibit E lists. See the finding Paid 430.95 for food with no program named.

What went to abatement

Primo Prevention was paid 1,102.85 for prevention materials. Empower Somerset was paid 1,400.00 for an adult mental health training. Embright Education was paid 3,600.00 for a youth prevention program. These fit Exhibit E Schedule B. Together they come to 6,102.85, about one dollar in ten of what the accounts paid.

What the reports told the State

The FY2024 report certifies 153,274.87 received since 2022, zero interest and zero spent. The same report certifies 169,771.43 unspent and uncommitted (FY2024 report). That is 16,496.56 more than the Township says it ever received.

The FY2025 report certifies 213,074.49 received, zero interest and 1,102.85 encumbered. It then certifies the full 213,074.49 as unspent and uncommitted, counting the encumbered 1,102.85 as uncommitted. See the finding Reported more money on hand than it had received.

The 1,102.85 encumbrance equals Primo Prevention purchase order 26-00288 to the cent. 259.00, 330.00 and 370.00 for materials and 143.85 for shipping. The vendor history dates that order 07/21/2025 (Primo Prevention vendor history). The ledger first encumbers it on 07/22/2025, against an account added 07/01/2025. On 06/30/2025, when the reporting year closed, no opioid account and no commitment existed in the books. See the finding Certified a 1,102.85 encumbrance before the order existed.

Where the rest of the money sits

The two opioid accounts were added at 70,019.65 and 70,019.64. Together 140,039.29. The FY2025 report certifies 213,074.49 received through 06/30/2025, which is 73,035.20 more. Resolution 114-3.26 recites that the Township has received more than 240,000.00.

A third opioid account, G-02-26-130-006-999, carried a 3,600.00 Embright Education charge on 03/23/2026 that was moved to the 2024 account on 04/02/2026. The Township did not produce that account's report. The record does not show where the rest of the money sits. See the finding Opioid accounts opened 73,035.20 below what was received.

FY2026

The FY2023, FY2024 and FY2025 reports each certify zero spent, and the books agree. Every payment from the two accounts, 58,574.08 including the van, falls in the year running 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026.

The State published the FY2026 report on 10/01/2026. It certifies 58,574.08 spent and 300.00 encumbered. Both match the books. The 300.00 is an open line on a Sam's Club order. See the finding Every dollar spent falls in FY2026, certified to the cent.

The report names one program, Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid, delivered by Empower Somerset and Embright Education. It certifies 5,832.23 spent on it. The only set of the year's payments that makes that figure is Empower Somerset, Embright Education and the five food and supply payments, including the 430.95 FOOD REFRESHMENT.

The report's goals answer says the Township used the funds "for appropriate programs and training that meets the criteria of the use of the Opioid Settlement Funds." It lists the Director of Public Safety among the officials who decided. It describes no vehicle and no outreach program. The van is 51,639.00 of the certified total. The bid, the purchase order and the title fee treat it as a police vehicle, and no overdose program using it is documented. See the finding Certified a 51,639 police van with no use described.

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