West Caldwell Township
West Caldwell Township spent 21,250.00 of its settlement money on a school assembly and a police course on opioid use disorder, and its FY2026 report counts 7,750.00 already spent as still on hand and files the police course as Recovery Supports.
Published 10/03/2026
TLDR
- West Caldwell Township reports receiving 51,411.22 in opioid settlement money through 06/30/2026.
- Its settlement account has paid two checks. 7,750.00 for a Chris Herren assembly at the high school. 13,500.00 for 30 seats in a police course on opioid use disorder.
- Each year's spending figure matches the books to the cent.
- The FY2026 report says 37,911.22 is still on hand. Receipts less both checks leave 30,161.22.
- The 7,750.00 difference is the Herren check. The FY2025 report had already counted it as spent.
- The FY2026 report files the 13,500.00 police course under Recovery Supports and says it was funded 06/30/2026. The check cleared 08/19/2025.
Summary
West Caldwell Township, Essex County, has received 51,411.22 in opioid settlement money since 2022, by its own reports to the Department of Human Services. The money must go to the abatement uses the national settlements list, or to documented evidence-based programs that address the epidemic.
The Township keeps the money in one account, G-02-40-213-738-000, Opioid Settlement Funds. The audit trail it produced runs from 01/01/2018 to 08/31/2026. It shows two payments, 21,250.00 in all, and nothing encumbered. This project classifies the 13,500.00 police course as conforming. The course materials confirm its opioid use disorder content. The 7,750.00 Herren payment is unverified. No agency record describes what the talk covered.
The spending figures the Township gave the State tie to the books every year. The balance it reported for FY2026 does not. Neither do the category and dates it gave the police course. Read the Township's findings.
What the Township spent
| Date | Check | Payee | Purchase | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/21/2025 | 18841 | Herren Talks | Chris Herren presentation, James Caldwell High School, 02/11/2025 | 7,750.00 |
| 08/19/2025 | 19777 | ZSchool LLC | Opioid use disorder course for 30 officers | 13,500.00 |
| Total | 21,250.00 |
The Herren invoice, number 3245, bills 7,000.00 for the presentation and 750.00 for travel. It is addressed to Caldwell-West Caldwell Schools. The Township paid it from the settlement account on purchase order 24002975. The FY2025 report certifies the assembly as Chris Herren First Day, a prevention program for students, under Primary Prevention, Education, and Training. The invoice and the purchase order say only presentation. Prevention education for young people is among the uses Exhibit E lists, but no agency record shows the talk's content, so this project holds the payment as unverified.
The ZSchool quote, QTE-001160, is on Seton Hall University letterhead and is billed to the West Caldwell Police Department. It prices 30 seats at 450.00 in the certificate program Operational Readiness for Police Officers, Practical Strategies for Addressing Opioid Use Disorder and Co-occurring Conditions. The course materials describe a four hour online course on recognizing opioid use disorder, de-escalation and referral to treatment. Training law enforcement on the needs of people with opioid use disorder is among the uses Exhibit E lists.
What the Township told the State
| Fiscal year | Received in the year | Received since 2022 | Spent | Encumbered | On hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 5,304.59 | 5,304.59 | 0.00 | Not asked | Not asked |
| FY2024 | 25,767.02 | 31,071.61 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 31,071.61 |
| FY2025 | 12,122.49 | 43,194.10 | 7,750.00 | 0.00 | 35,444.10 |
| FY2026 | 8,217.12 | 51,411.22 | 13,500.00 | 0.00 | 37,911.22 |
FY2023 and FY2024 certify nothing spent. The account paid nothing before 01/21/2025. On 05/23/2024 a 13,388.82 entry described as To charge to grant fund was posted to the account and reversed the same day. It nets to zero. The record does not explain it.
FY2025 certifies 7,750.00 spent. That is the Herren check. The report told the State that this year the Township's police and other first responders would attend training.
FY2026 certifies 13,500.00 spent. That is the ZSchool check. The report lists the course as a new program, Operational Readiness for Police Officers: OUD Program, under the primary category Recovery Supports, with 30 people served. It gives 06/30/2026 as the date the program was funded and launched. The ZSchool quote is dated 06/30/2025. Purchase order 25001456 was entered 07/16/2025, and check 19777 cleared 08/19/2025. The course trains police officers. The report itself names the problem as Training for Police Officers. A year earlier the Township filed the Herren assembly under Primary Prevention, Education, and Training. Certified police training as Recovery Supports, misdated.
The FY2026 balance
The FY2026 report certifies 37,911.22 of unspent money on hand. That figure is the 51,411.22 received since 2022 less the 13,500.00 spent in FY2026. It leaves out the 7,750.00 the account paid Herren Talks on 01/21/2025.
| Record | Amount |
|---|---|
| Received since 2022, FY2026 report | 51,411.22 |
| Check 18841, Herren Talks, 01/21/2025 | 7,750.00 |
| Check 19777, ZSchool LLC, 08/19/2025 | 13,500.00 |
| Receipts less spending | 30,161.22 |
| Certified on hand, FY2026 | 37,911.22 |
| Difference | 7,750.00 |
The Township's own reports lead to the same place. The FY2025 report counted the Herren check as spent and certified 35,444.10 on hand. Add the 8,217.12 received in FY2026 and subtract the 13,500.00 spent, and the balance is 30,161.22. The FY2026 report states no other receipt. Reported 7,750.00 more on hand than its books leave.
What the record does not show
The Township produced the purchase orders, vouchers, the Herren invoice, the ZSchool quote and the course materials. It did not produce the ZSchool invoice named on the purchase order, a list of the officers who took the course, or payment histories for either vendor across its other accounts. Whether the school district or the Township paid for assemblies like this one before the settlement money arrived is not in the record.
How this project classifies spending is set out in the methodology and the rubric. Corrections follow the corrections policy.