Nutley Township
Nutley Township has told the State it received 118,497.74 in opioid settlement money after reporting 146,651.64 a year earlier, and three of its four reports state balances its own figures do not support.
Published 10/03/2026
TLDR
- Nutley reported 146,651.64 in opioid settlement money received through 06/30/2025.
- A year and 18,006.42 of new money later, it reported 118,497.74 received. The total went down by 28,153.90.
- The FY2025 balance on hand counts only that year's money. It leaves out the 74,801.98 the Township received before it.
- The FY2024 report spends nothing and still lists 7,855.23 less on hand than the Township says it received.
- The FY2025 report says nothing was encumbered. Its one program says 10,718.63 was.
- The spending went to school and police programs. The reports name the Law Enforcement Against Drugs program, a Junior Police Academy and a wellness event.
- The Township has not produced a ledger.
Summary
Nutley Township, Essex County, reported receiving opioid settlement money each year since 2022. 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.
This project has no ledger for the Township's settlement money. No account record has been produced, so the books cannot be checked against the reports. The four findings rest on the reports' own figures. Read the Township's findings.
What the Township told the State
| Report | Received in the year | Received since 2022 | Spent | Encumbered | On hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 24,137.67 | 24,137.67 | 0.00 | not asked | not asked |
| FY2024 | 50,664.31 | 74,801.98 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 66,946.75 |
| FY2025 | 71,849.66 | 146,651.64 | 10,718.63 | 0.00 | 61,131.03 |
| FY2026 | 18,006.42 | 118,497.74 | 21,308.97 | 1,204.00 | 85,266.16 |
Each report certifies 0.00 of interest and 0.00 administrative.
The FY2023 report lists one program, TBD Education Program, at 24,137.00. Its recipient, funding date, launch date and performance measures are all "TBD." The FY2024 report says the Township funded no program. It gives the plan as working with the Police Department "to spend funds for opioid surveillance."
The FY2025 report lists one new program, Nutley Drug and Alcohol Prevention, with Nutley Schools as recipient. It is reported funded at 71,849.66 on 01/01/2025, the full amount received that year. The report says the money went to police led initiatives, naming the Law Enforcement Against Drugs program, the Junior Police Academy and the Raiders Never Walk Alone mental wellness events. It anticipates 500 clients a year and reports 4,000 participants served.
The FY2026 report updates the same program at 21,308.97 spent. It reports 1,000 participants, 300 Narcan kits and 10 referrals to treatment. It says the Narcan kits came from the County's Recovery Van at the Raiders Never Walk Alone event. It names the Commissioner of Public Safety, the Chief and Deputy Chief of Police, the Superintendent of Schools and the high school and junior high principals as the officials who decided the spending. The Township reports no strategic plan and no risk assessment in any year.
The FY2024 balance
The FY2024 report certifies 74,801.98 received since 2022. That is the 24,137.67 from FY2023 and the 50,664.31 from FY2024, to the cent. Nothing was spent in either year and nothing was encumbered. The report still certifies 66,946.75 unspent and uncommitted on hand. That is 7,855.23 less than the Township says it received. The report does not say where the difference went. FY2024 balance is 7,855.23 short with nothing spent.
The FY2025 balance
The FY2025 report certifies 146,651.64 received since 2022 and 10,718.63 spent in the year. Nothing was spent before. By the Township's own figures, 135,933.01 was left. The report certifies 61,131.03 on hand. That is 71,849.66 received in the year less 10,718.63 spent in the year, to the cent. The balance leaves out all 74,801.98 the Township received through 06/30/2024. FY2025 balance leaves out the 74,801.98 received before it.
The same report certifies 0.00 appropriated or encumbered but not yet spent. Its program block reports 10,718.63 expended and another 10,718.63 encumbered or appropriated. FY2025 program lists 10,718.63 encumbered, total says none.
FY2026
The State published the Township's FY2026 report on 10/01/2026. It covers 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026. It certifies 18,006.42 received, 21,308.97 spent, 1,204.00 encumbered and 85,266.16 on hand.
| Record | Amount |
|---|---|
| Received since 2022, FY2025 report | 146,651.64 |
| Received in FY2026 | 18,006.42 |
| Carried forward | 164,658.06 |
| Received since 2022, FY2026 report | 118,497.74 |
| Difference | 46,160.32 |
Money already received cannot fall. The FY2026 total is 28,153.90 below the one the Township gave a year earlier. From the carried 164,658.06, the 32,027.60 certified spent in FY2025 and FY2026 and the 1,204.00 encumbered leave 131,426.46. The certified balance is 85,266.16, which is 46,160.30 lower. FY2026 total received falls 28,153.90 below the year before.
The FY2026 report describes its administrative expenses as the Township's partnership with the Board of Education on wellness programs. It certifies them at 0.00.
What the record does not show
The Township has produced no ledger. The reports certify 32,027.60 spent on school and police programs over two years. They do not name a payee, an invoice or a check. Only the account that holds the money can show what was paid, to whom, and how much is left. That record is owed.
How this project classifies spending is set out in the methodology and the rubric. Corrections follow the corrections policy.