Lowndes County board authorizes participation in opioid manufacturers' settlement

A county staff member reported that a settlement agreement has been reached by secondary opioid providers and manufacturers and asked the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners to approve county participation. The staff member said the county must agree to be bound by a state/local memorandum of understanding and execute manufacturers' participation and release forms to receive the payments.

The staff member said any use of funds would be brought back before the board for approval. A commissioner asked staff to keep the board updated as funds arrive and before they are used; the staff member replied, "Those will come before the board before any use of those funds have been made." The board voted to authorize the chairman to sign the acknowledgement agreement and the participation and release forms; the motion carried with all in favor and no recorded opposition.

There was no detailed dollar amount or distribution schedule included in the record; the staff presentation focused on the procedural steps the county must take to participate. The agreement referenced in the presentation is the state/local MOU and associated participation and release forms the county would execute to accept funds from secondary manufacturers. The board did not take any spending actions at this meeting; according to staff, future allocations or uses of settlement funds will return to the board for review and formal approval.