IRON MOUNTAIN — Dickinson County will commit up to $55,000 annually for the next five years from opioid settlement funds to help hire a health educator who will work with area youth on substance abuse and violence prevention.

Iron County and the Dickinson-Iron Health Department will also contribute to funding the position within the health agency.

Dickinson County Board, which earlier had joint meetings with Iron County representatives on the plan, approved the spending Monday. The health educator will teach the Botvin LifeSkills Training program from third grade into high school, Controller Brian Bousley said.

The Botvin website states the training has been extensively tested and proven to reduce tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use by as much as 80%. As an evidence-based prevention program, it meets the guidelines for appropriate spending of opioid funds, Commissioner Barbara Kramer said.

Private schools, home-schooled students and children’s camps could also fall within the program, she noted.

The position will be paid with settlement funds from various lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies. Communities are receiving different settlement amounts per capita, depending on a formula the state developed to measure vulnerability to the opioid crisis.

Dickinson County’s share is roughly estimated at nearly $1.7 million, while Iron County’s estimated amount is $740,000, according to the Michigan Association of Counties’ online Opioid Settlement Resource Center.

A full-time health educator will cost $61,140 to $78,427 per year, depending on qualifications. The DIDHD has a part-time educator who soon plans to retire. The Iron County Board, which meets today, is expected to commit up to $23,000 annually.

In other action, the board:

— Adopted an updated Dickinson County Master Plan prepared through the county’s planning commission with assistance from the Escanaba-based Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Regional Commission, or CUPPAD. Waucedah Township resident Mike Schira of the planning commission was instrumental in seeing the plan through, along with Kramer, commissioners noted. A review period for the plan ended this month and the adopted 58-page document will soon be posted to the county’s website at https://www.dickinsoncountymi.gov/. The plan serves as a guide for the physical, social, and economic development of the county, and supports local governments, public-private partners, and residents as they make decisions regarding land use and development.

— Heard Iron Mountain Mayor Dale Alessandrini thank commissioners for their dedicated service. Four board members with experience ranging from 12 to 35 years will see their terms expire at year’s end, with only Commissioner Joe Stevens of Kingsford returning. Alessandrini acknowledged occasional “ins and outs” between the county and city but said the board on the whole has done “a great job.”

— Voted 4-1 to reappoint state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, as the county’s representative to the Upper Peninsula State Fair Authority for a two-year term. Commissioner John Degenaer Jr. voted no.