The Broadband County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 7 to approve the county’s participation in the Purdue direct settlement and authorized the chair to sign the necessary documents.

The motion, recommended by the senior director of finance, passed with an affirmative vote by all commissioners present. County finance staff told the board the final distribution depends on state-level agreements and participating subrecipients, but provided a preliminary estimate of roughly $800,000 for the county.

Why it matters: opioid settlement funds are intended for public-health and abatement efforts; approving participation commits the county to the settlement’s terms and to a timeline for signing and claiming any share. Finance staff said the settlement administrator had issued an initial notice and that some paperwork arrived quickly after the county was contacted.

Details discussed included the need for the county to review the settlement terms before signing and to confirm whether signing required waiving any future claims beyond the settlement’s scope. Commissioners did not identify additional legal impediments at the meeting; staff indicated they would coordinate with the state and with outside counsel as needed.

Next steps: the county will complete any required signatory steps and coordinate with the state and other subrecipients on distribution mechanics. Staff said they would follow up with the chair’s office to return signed documents to the settlement administrator.

Ending: The board did not set a public timeline for how the funds would be allocated locally; any use of settlement proceeds will be subject to future budget or program actions brought back to the commissioners for approval.