The Miami City Council on Oct. 7 authorized city staff to pursue participation in an additional round of opioid-settlement-related agreements, subject to legal review, after City Attorney Misty reported a large volume of newly surfaced documents and potential legal concerns.

"I will do my best to review all of these documents, but I doubt that I will be able to in good faith ... that there is absolutely nothing in these documents that will not hurt the city," Misty told the council, describing roughly 500 pages of materials that require review before a legal sign-off.

Misty explained that Oklahoma had previously sued Purdue and obtained a judgment; she said the state secured $255 million and that, after the bankruptcy, "the state of Oklahoma is having 12,500,000 set aside pursuant to that judgment." She also described separate settlement activity involving other opioid manufacturers (referred to in the meeting as "secondary manufacturers") and said some funds may be distributed through a trust and grants process handled at the state level.

Council members were told that signing the new settlement documentation may limit future claims and that the council must approve participation. The council then voted to approve participation "pending legal review" and authorized the city manager or his designee to sign. The vote was recorded at the meeting and the motion carried.

Misty advised caution: she said she could not guarantee that the new package would not contain terms that are adverse to the city and asked that the council condition participation on completion of legal review.

The city will await the attorney's formal review and return to council for any further authorization if necessary.