Limestone County hears briefing on statewide opioid settlement; attorney asks court to sign resolution and release

Blake Beckham, an attorney who said he has served as a liaison for opioid litigation affecting local counties, told the Limestone County Commissioners Court that the statewide settlements with opioid manufacturers and retailers include both direct county payments and larger regional funds available by application. "The settlement overall is $85,000,000," Beckham said in the presentation, later referring to an $83,000,000 figure during the same briefing. Beckham told the court the settlements use a roughly 15%–15%–70% split (state–county–regional fund) and that Limestone County’s direct payment from the Kroger settlement is shown in the packet as $10,000, with the county’s regional share reported in the briefing as about $535,000. Beckham said Region 16’s available funds total just under $20,000,000 and urged the county to be proactive in applying for grants for ambulance purchases, clinics or other opioid‑response needs. "The county needs more ambulances," Beckham said, citing emergency responses to overdoses.

Beckham described the settlement documents in the commissioner packet and asked that the court sign a resolution and the release included at tabs 4 and 5 so the county can receive its direct payment and pursue regional funds. He offered to provide an application starter kit and to deliver materials to the county attorney. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the different payment buckets and how the $10,000 direct payment differs from the regional application pool; Beckham replied that the $10,000 is a separate direct payment "that's your accounting forever," while the larger regional share is a separate bucket that counties may apply for. The court took a motion and second on the presentation and the request to approve the documents.

The transcript records inconsistent settlement totals (Beckham cited both $85,000,000 and $83,000,000 during the briefing) and describes Limestone’s regional share in rounded terms. The county packet reportedly included a green sheet listing Kroger and the direct payment; Beckham said he will bring a starter package to the county attorney to support any application for regional funds. The court did not record a detailed roll-call vote in the transcript; routine motions on other agenda items were handled by voice vote during the meeting. The next procedural step Beckham requested was signatures on the resolution and release so staff can pursue both the direct payment and competitive regional funds.