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Committee’s call to action timely, necessary

The assertion by the Minot Mayor’s Committee on Addiction that the time for listening and gathering information needs to evolve into an action plan is or should be music to the ears of everyone in the city who recognizes the severity of the addiction challenge.

Some critics of the committee might have felt its purpose was cosmetic and its ability to have any actual impact on the problem are wrong. This has not been a debating society with subcommittees. This has been an earnest effort by many people that has taken a look at the true problem holistically and in a relatively short period of time, is preparing for action.

Make no mistake, challenges are on the horizon. The city needs funding for whatever plan is developed and there are key decisions to be made and frankly, priorities to be set. Money isn’t exactly flowing from outside sources and the city council and City Manager Tom Barry have already done a spectacular job with the budget to keep the city functioning – well, in general – with a ridiculously tight budget.

“We are having a lot of meetings and they are getting a lot of information. But we need to come to conclusions,” said Minot Public Schools Supt. Mark Vollmer, chairman of the aftercare subcommittee. “It’s time we start formalizing some of this and developing a comprehensive plan. If we don’t start formalizing, we are going to lose traction.”

Mayor Chuck Barney, who has spearheaded this initiative from the beginning, echoed the sentiment, all but sending this noble effort into the next phase.

Minot Daily News does not have the answers to the questions that must now be addressed – how do we tackle the issue from all angles, how do we pay for it, what are the initial steps?

However, what Minot Daily News does have is confidence in the Mayor’s Committee on Addiction and the wonderful people who have been involved in the process.

And gratitude. Minot Daily News, as an entity and as a collective of residents, is grateful for the committee’s efforts to date and its efficiency in getting to the next stage in addressing this dreadful plague.

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