(The Center Square) – The Spokane City Council voted 6-1 to approve nearly $500,000 in opioid settlement funds for “culturally responsive” treatment services last week, but one council member argued the money could have a greater impact elsewhere.
Council members approved Resolution 2026-0064 on Sept. 9, authorizing investments from the city’s Opioid Response Fund and allowing the administration to execute related contracts without additional council approval.
Councilmember Michael Cathcart, the council’s only conservative, was the lone vote against the resolution.
Cathcart said he has opposed the allocation previously and believes the city is “nickeling and diming” the opioid response fund rather than concentrating resources on what he considers the highest-priority needs.
“I don’t believe it’s the highest and best use of the dollars,” Cathcart said in an interview with The Center Square on Monday.
The approved contracts are designed to address gaps in “culturally responsive” treatment for people struggling with opioid addiction. The services are intended to be tailored to the needs of specific communities, including marginalized populations.
The contracts involve the Center for Growth and Empowerment through Compassionate Addiction Treatment, The Native Project, Nuestras Raices and Washington State University in partnership with Spokane Tribal Network.
The total investment is under $500,000 and was already included in the city’s 2026 budget.
The city has previously identified culturally specific behavioral health treatment as a priority for opioid settlement dollars. In 2025, city officials proposed $500,000 to support the planning and launch of culturally specific behavioral health treatment.
Cathcart said his concern is not with addressing addiction, but with how the limited opioid dollars are being prioritized.
He said not all of the money being spent from the fund is going directly toward treatment-type services, and he questioned whether the city should instead be directing more resources toward facilities and programs that can immediately intervene when people are experiencing a substance-use crisis.
“I see and hear from people in the community about open drug use,” Cathcart said.
Cathcart pointed to the Spokane Regional Stabilization Center as an example of an investment he believes has had a significant impact on the community.
He said a former police chief recently described the development of the crisis stabilization center as one of the most “game-changing” investments and policies in three decades.
Cathcart said he would like to see the center expanded, particularly to increase bed capacity and strengthen its ability to serve people experiencing behavioral health and substance-use crises.
The Spokane Regional Stabilization Center currently serves as a pre-booking jail diversion option, providing medical, mental health and substance-use treatment services. People can be referred by law enforcement, first responders, hospitals and other partners.
Spokane County is also expanding the regional system. Construction is underway on a $21 million Crisis Relief and Sobering Center that will add 24-hour crisis relief and sobering services to the existing stabilization center. The expanded facility is expected to open in spring 2027.
Cathcart said additional investments in crisis stabilization and treatment capacity could complement the city’s efforts to address public drug use and addiction.
He also pointed to other local revenue sources, including the city’s 1590 fund, as part of the broader discussion over how Spokane should prioritize behavioral health and public safety spending.
The city’s Opioid Response Fund is supported by opioid settlement dollars that are restricted to approved uses related to addressing the opioid crisis. Spokane has previously used opioid settlement funding for initiatives including behavioral health services, crisis response and other programs aimed at addressing addiction.
While Cathcart opposed the latest allocation, the other six council members voted in favor of the resolution, allowing the city to move forward with the contracts.
Councilmember Kitty Klitzke explained her reasons during last week’s meeting for supporting the measure.
“I think the reason this program is important is the city is not a provider of medical services, so yes we can contribute to them, we don’t receive the bulk of public health or opioid dollars so working with the county is always something we have to do to address this public health crisis,” she said.
“I do a lot of ride-alongs in my district and I saw a common occurrence where you go to people and ask if they need help and they say ‘no, thank you, I am good.’ So getting people into treatment and keeping them is hard.”
Councilmember Paul Dillon said it is important to have wide-ranging approach.
“We have to meet people where they are at and the holistic approach. This cultural part is critical. you look at the needs for LGBTQ+, Indigenous and Latino communities, having them be the messenger and more funding to do this work is important”
The vote gives the administration authority to execute the agreements without returning to the council for another vote on each contract.