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Walsh County commission votes to accept proposed Purdue bankruptcy settlement
Summary
The Walsh County Commission voted unanimously to accept the proposed settlement tied to the Purdue bankruptcy and to route opioid settlement receipts through the local public health district as required by state law.
Walsh County approved joining the proposed Purdue bankruptcy settlement related to statewide opioid litigation after a county staff presentation and brief discussion.
County staff member Kelly told the commission the county had previously joined litigation through a law firm working across multiple political subdivisions and recommended accepting the Purdue proposal now that Purdue is in bankruptcy. Kelly said, "I'll make a motion to approve." The commission then took a roll-call vote: Danny — yes; Katie — yes; Paul — yes; Ernie — yes; Chair — yes. The motion carried.
Why it matters: state law passed in recent years requires counties to route opioid-related settlement receipts either into the state settlement fund or into their local public-health district for restricted public-health use. Kelly told the commission that Walsh County has been following that requirement and that local settlement receipts are being transferred to the public health district for use on health- and treatment-related programs, including support for in-jail treatment.
What the vote does and limits: the commission’s vote accepts the proposed Purdue bankruptcy settlement as presented and authorizes the county to follow the distribution path consistent with the state’s statutory framework. Kelly said the county’s share to date has been modest and that the public health district is administering local use of the funds and has used some to supplement treatment at the county jail.
Next steps: county staff will complete any written acceptance steps required in the bankruptcy process and coordinate with the public health district on allowable uses and reporting.
Votes at a glance: the commission’s recorded roll-call on the motion to accept the Purdue bankruptcy proposal was unanimous among members present (Danny; Katie; Paul; Ernie; Chair).
