White County commissioners set $0.41 tax rate, approve county appropriation and opioid settlement; several members dissent

White County commissioners approved a package of budget and related resolutions during their August meeting, including a resolution setting the county tax rate at $0.41 and a county-general appropriation to fund the 2025 budget. Commissioners also approved nonprofit appropriations, an amended opioid-abatement settlement, and an appointment to the Industrial Development Board.

The tax-levy resolution (Resolution 66-08-2025) to set the $0.41 rate passed after roll-call voting; the final tally recorded 10 yes, 3 no and 1 absent. At the roll call, Commissioner Jordan Coates voted no; other commissioners who registered no votes were counted in the final 3 no votes on the record.

The appropriation to fund the County General Fund (Resolution 67-08-2025) passed on roll call with a final tally of 11 yes, 2 no and 1 absent. Commissioners recorded the nonprofit appropriation resolution (Resolution 68-08-2025) as passing with 12 yes, 0 no, 1 pass/abstain and 1 absent.

The commission also approved an amendment to the county's opioid-abatement settlement (Resolution 69-08-2025) related to Purdue and other companies' bankruptcy and reallocation of settlement funds; that resolution passed 13 yes, 0 no and 1 absent. The court appointed Haley Howard to the Industrial Development Board (Resolution 70-08-2025); that appointment passed 13 yes, 0 no and 1 absent.

During roll call on the tax-levy resolution, one commissioner gave a recorded statement explaining the no vote as a judgment that the budget was “nowhere near enough” and an “injustice to the county” to pass merely because prior issues had been allowed to persist; that explanation appeared on the record immediately prior to that commissioner’s no vote.

Why it matters: the tax rate and appropriation resolutions determine county revenue and how county services will be funded for the coming fiscal period. The opioid-abatement amendment clarifies the county’s participation in multi-jurisdictional settlement distributions after bankruptcy filings by manufacturers.

Details of each action

- Resolution 66-08-2025 (Tax levy: set $0.41 tax rate). Motion and second recorded on the floor; final roll-call result 10 yes, 3 no, 1 absent. Outcome: approved.

- Resolution 67-08-2025 (Appropriation: County General Fund). Motion and second recorded; final roll-call result 11 yes, 2 no, 1 absent. Outcome: approved.

- Resolution 68-08-2025 (Nonprofit appropriations). Motion and second recorded; final roll-call result 12 yes, 0 no, 1 pass/abstain, 1 absent. Outcome: approved.

- Resolution 69-08-2025 (Opioid-abatement settlement amendment). Motion and second recorded; final roll-call result 13 yes, 0 no, 1 absent. Outcome: approved. The amendment covers reallocations and bankruptcy contingencies tied to Purdue and other defendants.

- Resolution 70-08-2025 (Appointment of Haley Howard to Industrial Development Board). Motion and second recorded; final roll-call result 13 yes, 0 no, 1 absent. Outcome: approved.

Commission procedure and follow-up: Several items were introduced and voted by roll call during the consent calendar and budget committee reports. The commission recorded the presence of a quorum and proceeded with votes; where a commissioner asked to change a previously recorded vote, the chair allowed the change before the final tally was announced.

Provisions and legal references in the meeting were presented as titled resolutions and recorded by their resolution numbers on the agenda. No additional ordinances or statutes were cited on the record during the roll-call votes.