BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON -- St. Lawrence County has received state aid for the mandated medication assisted treatment program (MAT) and Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) but the total in state aid falls well short of the overall costs of the programs. 

Legislators approved a resolution to accept $160,000 in appropriations to help offset costs. 

According to Community Services Deputy Director Lindsay Best, the funding will pass through Community Services to the Sheriff's Office for use. 

The jail-based services include court-ordered evaluations, screening and assessment by a qualified health professional, MAT and OTP services, individual and group counseling, peer support services, treatment and discharge planning when transitioning back to the community, county officials said. 

Staff will perform all regulatory required services for those individuals receiving OTP services, while the Correctional Facility staff will be responsible for remaining treatment services with funding provided, they continued. 

But when evaluating the county budget, the $160,000 is a far cry from the total expense required to administer the programs. 

County officials budgeted $866,243 for the MAT program in 2026, which included zero funding in jail grants for the sixth year in a row.   

As for OTP services, county officials show a $578,690 loss in the 2026 budget. 

Legislators have called on the state to modify legislation in years prior, saying the programs amounted to unfunded mandates that fell to local taxpayers. 

In 2023, former Sheriff Brooks Bigwarfe detailed the costs associated, saying at the time that the MAT program alone would likely cost the county in excess of $800,000. 

At that time, the county had received roughly $100,000 to offset costs for the program. 

As time has gone on, however, those costs have continued to keep up and state aid has not maintained pace with expenses, according to legislators. 

Total appropriations for the jail for 2026 came in at $10,385,224.72, an 11.39% increase compared to the 2025 adopted budget.  

The issues raised in 2023 have persisted into 2026, county officials have said. 

Sheriff Rick Engle previously said the program is a "significant financial investment" that would only continue to rise as the jail population remains at elevated levels. 

Legislators also approved accepting funds for Community Services from the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) to support local support centers. 

The funding, part of the state's targeted inflationary increase (TII) funds, will help offset salary and fringe support adjustments. 

The funds, totaling $323,080, is 100% pass through funding for contract agencies, county officials said. 

In other action, legislators also approved the creation of a mental health services coordinator for the Community Services Department. The position is funded through state aid, totaling $200,233 and would be abolished if the funding were ever discontinued. 

Officials say the position would be responsible for the state mandated Single Point of Access (SPOA) services for adults, allowing current staff to focus on similar services for children.

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