Burnsville proclaims Overdose Awareness Week and approves joining two opioid settlements

Burnsville Mayor Ialysm Coutts proclaimed Aug. 24–30, 2025, as Overdose and Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week and presented the proclamation to JJ Johnson of Dakota County Opioid Prevention Coordination. The City Council later approved a resolution that authorizes the city to participate in two newly announced national prescription-opioid settlements and to accept funds under Minnesota’s memorandum of agreement guiding allowable uses.

Why it matters: The combined steps — a public proclamation and formal participation in settlements — signal the city’s continuing use of settlement proceeds for overdose response, prevention and related emergency medical services. City staff said prior settlement funds already supported an EMS community risk-reduction pilot and that additional funds would expand those efforts.

Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer Jenny Bridal told the council the city first received settlement funds in September 2022 and expects some remaining distributions annually through 2038. “In July, we received emails notifying us of a settlement with Purdue/Sackler and a second settlement with additional manufacturers,” Bridal said. She said allocation amounts from those settlements have not yet been released and that the city must sign documentation to receive funds by Sept. 30 for the Purdue/Sackler settlement and Oct. 8 for the other settlement.

Bridal also described the city’s prior spending from opioid settlement proceeds, saying the council approved an EMS community risk-reduction pilot in March 2023 and later expanded resources to that program with a full-time firefighter-paramedic and equipment. “Any additional funds received under this would provide additional resources for that program and any other program the council would wish to spend those funds for,” Bridal said.

Council Member Schultz said she would vote yes on the resolution but urged the Minnesota Legislature to do more to protect patients’ access to pain treatment. “I will be voting in favor of this,” Schultz said. “However, legislature does need to get on this and offer more protections for Minnesotans.”

A motion to adopt the resolution passed by voice vote; the council gave staff authorization to sign on to the two settlements and staff asked whether the council wanted to allow administrative sign-on for any future settlements that do not change the state MOA or eligible uses. Council members did not place additional restrictions on future administrative sign-ons during the meeting.

Background and next steps: Bridal said the state’s memorandum of agreement provides guidance on eligible uses of opioid settlement funds in Minnesota. The council previously approved use of funds for the EMS pilot and may decide future allocations as notices of specific allocation amounts arrive. Deadlines to sign participation paperwork were noted as Sept. 30 (Purdue/Sackler) and Oct. 8 (other manufacturers). The resolution adopted at the meeting authorizes receiving funds and signing required documents to secure those allocations.

The proclamation and the settlement resolution were separate agenda items: the proclamation was presented early in the meeting and the settlement resolution was discussed and adopted during the regular agenda.

The council did not specify exact allocation amounts for Burnsville; Bridal said allocation amounts are distributed after entities sign on to the national settlements and once state-level distributions are determined.