Gahanna’s City Attorney asked council on Aug. 25 to authorize the city’s participation in the Purdue opioid settlement under the One Ohio framework and to grant explicit authority to execute the participation paperwork.

The city attorney said the municipality has accumulated about $123,000 in opioid settlement proceeds to date through prior national settlements allocated via One Ohio. The attorney said earlier council action adopted the One Ohio allocation method in 2021, but recommended explicit authority for the Purdue settlement participation “in an abundance of caution,” so the city can accept additional settlement payments as they are distributed.

Nut graf: The attorney advised that the funds must be used for remediation or abatement of the opioid crisis — principally prevention and treatment — and that there are strict reporting requirements for any money expended.

In the presentation, the city attorney described the funds as accruing gradually (many distributions to date are relatively small) and said there is no statutory deadline to spend the accrued funds, but any use triggers reporting and monitoring obligations. He said the city has roughly four years of accrual and will research appropriate local uses that comply with settlement restrictions.

Council members asked clarifying questions. Councilmember Jones asked whether the $123,000 represented previously accrued funds or expected proceeds from the Purdue settlement; the city attorney said it is the aggregate accrued to date across prior settlements. Councilmember Jones also asked whether there is a time limit to spend the money; the city attorney said there is not a deadline to spend the accrued funds but that strict timelines apply to the reporting for funds once spent.

Action and next steps: The attorney sought council’s formal authorization to execute the necessary Purdue participation paperwork; council placed the related resolution on the consent agenda. The attorney said he will continue research into permissible local uses and reporting processes and return with recommended uses and any grant‑style program proposals.

Less critical details: the attorney noted he had prepared a summary of potential allowable uses and planned to solicit input from council and staff before making recommendations on expenditure programs.