Orange City Township
The City of Orange Township told the State it held 797,597.45 of opioid settlement money after receiving 390,072.48, and its FY2026 report contradicts itself on what it spent, what it committed and what is left.
Published 10/03/2026
TLDR
- Orange reported receiving 390,072.48 in opioid settlement money through 06/30/2025. The same report says it had 797,597.45 on hand.
- A year later the balance was 31,926.07. The reports' own figures leave at least 227,711.22.
- The FY2026 report certifies 123,500.00 committed but not spent. Every program it lists shows 0.00 committed.
- It certifies 93,659.00 spent. Its programs add to 71,366.25.
- One FY2026 program was a moment of silence for City staff. It cost 366.25 and was filed as Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention.
- The Township has not produced a ledger. One is owed.
Summary
The City of Orange Township, Essex County, reported receiving 581,662.54 in opioid settlement money through 06/30/2026, interest included. 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 has certified 168,659.00 spent across four years, and 26,792.32 of staff salary as administrative expenses in FY2026. 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 findings rest on the reports' own figures. Read the Township's findings.
What the Township told the State
| Report | Received in the year | Interest | Received since 2022 | Spent | Encumbered | On hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 58,341.52 | not asked | 58,341.52 | 0.00 | not asked | not asked |
| FY2024 | 78,604.78 | 546.51 since 2022 | 137,492.81 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 137,370.95 |
| FY2025 | 247,479.76 | 5,099.91 | 390,072.48 | 25,000.00 | 35,000.00 | 797,597.45 |
| FY2026 | 186,790.00 | 4,800.06 | 581,662.54 | 93,659.00 | 123,500.00 | 31,926.07 |
The received totals carry forward to the cent each year. The balances do not.
The FY2024 report lists one program, the Orange Opioids Prevention Program, funded 04/25/2024 at 78,040.78 with 50,000.00 spent. Its description reads "Prevention of Opioid Misuse in the City of Orange." Its statement of impact includes dental care for seniors. The FY2025 report lists the same program name for a Greater Essex Counseling Services mobile outreach program, 25,000.00 spent and 25,000.00 encumbered, and a naloxone education fair funded 06/28/2025 at 10,000.00 with nothing spent. The fair's entry reports 75 naloxone kits distributed.
The Township reported no strategic plan and no risk assessment in any year.
The FY2025 balance
The FY2025 report certifies 390,072.48 received since 2022. It certifies 797,597.45 unspent and uncommitted on hand. That is 407,524.97 more than the Township says it has ever received. It is more than the 581,662.54 the Township reports receiving through 06/30/2026. FY2025 reports 797,597.45 on hand, above all it received.
The FY2024 balance has the same problem on a smaller scale. That report certifies 137,492.81 received and 50,000.00 spent, which leaves at most 87,492.81. It certifies 137,370.95 on hand. FY2024 balance is 49,878.14 above what its spending left.
FY2026
The State published the Township's FY2026 report on 10/01/2026. It covers 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026. It lists five programs.
| Program | Recipient | Category filed | Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supporting Vision and Recovery in Orange | Optical Academy | Wraparound and Connected Care Supports | 7,500.00 |
| Moment of Silence | Greater Essex Counseling Services | Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention | 366.25 |
| Orange Community Outreach and Harm Reduction Initiative | Greater Essex Counseling Services | Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention | 52,500.00 |
| Narcan Training | Greater Essex Counseling Services | Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention | 4,500.00 |
| Stronger Together Caregivers Workshop | Greater Essex Counseling Services | Wraparound and Connected Care Supports | 6,500.00 |
| Programs | 71,366.25 |
The report certifies 93,659.00 spent. The programs come to 71,366.25, 22,292.75 less. It certifies 26,792.32 of administrative expenses, part of a staff member's salary. Programs plus administration come to 98,158.57, 4,499.57 more than the certified total. FY2026 certifies 93,659.00 spent, programs add to 71,366.25.
It certifies 123,500.00 appropriated or encumbered but not yet spent. Every program block reports 0.00 appropriated or encumbered. The report carries no update for the two FY2025 programs that held the 35,000.00 encumbered a year earlier. FY2026 certifies 123,500.00 encumbered, programs show none.
It certifies 31,926.07 on hand. Received since 2022, less everything the four reports certify as spent and the FY2026 encumbrance, leaves 289,503.54. Taking out the administrative expenses and the FY2025 encumbrance as well still leaves 227,711.22. The certified balance is 195,785.15 below that. The report does not say where the money went. FY2026 balance leaves 195,785.15 unaccounted for.
The programs themselves are described this way in the report.
- The Moment of Silence program targets "City of Orange Township Staff." It reports 35 people served. Its key activities are a moment of silence, remarks and sharing informational materials with staff. It is filed under Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention.
- Supporting Vision and Recovery in Orange paid Optical Academy for a mobile vision event. It reports 87 people served. It describes eye examinations, retinal imaging and corrective eyewear. The report says the City chose the vendor "based on a referral from another town."
- The Community Outreach and Harm Reduction Initiative reports 34 unduplicated people served and, in its performance figures, 108 participants. It also reports dental services for 12 residents.
- The Caregivers Workshop names its primary problem as "Mental Health of Caregivers."
Without invoices or a ledger, this project cannot say what any of these payments bought.
What the record does not show
The Township has produced no ledger. Its reports certify 168,659.00 spent and 26,792.32 of administrative expenses. They give balances that cannot all be true. Only the account that holds the money can show what was paid, to whom, and what 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.