County authorizes attorney to sign opioid settlement documents including Purdue offer

The Park County Board of County Commissioners authorized the county attorney to sign documents necessary to participate in national opioid settlements, including the Purdue/Sackler settlement and a separate secondary-manufacturer settlement, and directed staff to accept electronic signatures for participation paperwork.

County Attorney (Skork) told commissioners the county has participated in prior opioid litigation settlements (Janssen, Allergan, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Kroger and others) and that the spending restrictions across settlements have been consistent: funds must be used on programs to mitigate substance use disorder and its effects. Skork recommended participating in the Purdue/Sackler settlement and in a separate settlement involving multiple secondary manufacturers. He asked that the county attorney be authorized to sign required documents and subsequent electronic forms as needed.

Clerk/Treasurer staff provided an accounting snapshot. As of the fiscal close cited in the meeting, the county had received $970,664 in total opioid settlement revenue and had spent $67,683 as of the end of the prior reporting period; the board later approved approximately $40,000 for a counseling program and renewed drug-court seats, bringing total expenditures higher. The county attorney summarized the Purdue settlement framework cited in the materials: an aggregate $6.5 billion from the Sackler family paid over 16 payments across 15 years with $1.5 billion payable on the effective date; Purdue estate payments of $900 million are also contemplated but timing is uncertain.

Commissioners approved a motion to authorize the county attorney to sign opioid settlement documents and to use DocuSign for necessary enrollment paperwork. Staff said the treasurer will track each settlement account separately and the county's opioid committee will continue to review funding requests.