Among the many cuts outlined in a spending plan Gov. Dannel P. Malloy released Monday is one that would devastate the state’s Regional Action Councils, which have tackled Connecticut’s opioid crisis with prevention in mind.

The Resource Allocation Plan will go into effect only if legislators don’t adopt before July 1 either a balanced budget of their own creation or Malloy’s so-called “mini-budget,” which he also released Monday. Both of Malloy’s proposals “cut expenditures drastically in order to keep our state’s finances in balance,” according to a news release from his office.

If the allocation plan goes into effect — Malloy would have to enact it by executive order — the total loss to the 13 councils is about $1.1 million.

For the Southeastern Regional Action Council, which serves 20 towns in the southeastern corner of the state, that cut is about $227,000, Executive Director Michele Devine said.

While that may sound small in the scheme of things, it’s 60 percent of SERAC’s budget and funds general operations for the 4½-employee council. Without it, Devine said, the agency’s outreach will be drastically trimmed over the next two years, while its federal funding — the other 40 percent of the budget — remains intact.

After that, she said, SERAC could be forced to close its doors.

“It’s a very difficult time to even consider this,” Devine said. “We’re only going down a long road of drug abuse and suicide and mental health issues."

"If there is no other agency that does prevention," she added, "we would constantly be living in a reactionary world.”

In a sense, SERAC works in the background. The speakers who address youth and town leaders about the opioid crisis? Often paid for by SERAC. The coalitions that some towns have developed to fight substance abuse? They meet regularly so efforts aren’t duplicated and ideas are shared — because of SERAC. The operations police conduct to see whether establishments are selling alcohol or cigarettes to underage consumers? Typically made possible by SERAC.

When the Netflix drama “13 Reasons Why” brought the issue of suicide to the forefront, SERAC worked to address suicide prevention with parents and students in a meaningful way. When SERAC realized family members of those with mental illness don’t always recognize what’s going on, it set forth to educate them.

In the last four years, the agency has trained 2,400 people in topics including mental health first aid, QPR suicide prevention training and drug use trends.

It has surveyed more than 22,000 area middle and high school students about risky behavior so its actions can be data-driven and based on regional trends.

And, by collecting data and employing people who know how to secure grants, SERAC over the past 10 years has garnered $1.5 million in monies it used in the region and has helped other towns bring in about $3 million to use in their own communities.

“I’m hoping all elected officials can understand the value of that small amount of state funds we get, given what we’re providing back to the community,” Devine said.

The Connecticut Legislature created the first of the state’s regional action councils in 1989. The councils weren’t all formed that year — SERAC is 23 years old, for example — but they all have spent decades coordinating substance abuse prevention and mental health awareness programs molded specially for their regions.

The $1.1 million the councils stand to lose comes from the pre-trial account budget line, which Malloy’s allocation plan eliminates. According to Connecticut Prevention Network President Pam Mautte — the network is an association of all 13 councils — the account is funded by the money that people charged with DUI have to pay for their educational classes.

Mautte said councils across the state would face a situation similar to SERAC’s. Layoffs would be almost certain. Towns that leaned on the councils for advice, coordination and assistance would have few alternative options or, in some cases, nowhere else to turn. Regional campaigns and other efforts might cease to exist.

Councils also screen kids who are entering high school to identify those who are at risk of developing a substance use disorder. They work with those students to help them reverse course. A majority of people who end up abusing substances, Mautte pointed out, start in their youth.

Both Mautte and Devine said they were surprised to see Malloy propose cutting an arm so actively involved in fighting opioid addiction. In the past several years, the governor has been vocal about tackling the crisis and has spearheaded several pieces of legislation intended to ease its effects. And according to state data, which show there were more than 900 overdose deaths in Connecticut last year, the problem isn’t getting better.

In an emailed statement, state Office of Policy and Management Public Information Officer Chris McClure said the cuts are necessary to pay for rising fixed costs in relation to anticipated revenue.

To do that, he said, “we will have to sharply reduce spending in many areas, including spending that we all agree is important and worthwhile.”

Mautte, well aware of the state’s situation, said she’s willing to see the councils take a cut even though they have seen success and have served as a model for other states.

“We all need to feel pain with this budget,” she said. “But we’re not willing to have complete elimination of a structure that has been in place for more than 25 years.”

l.boyle@theday.com