St. Bernard council adopts ordinance creating opioid settlement expense line and transfers $1.2 million

The St. Bernard Village Council on Oct. 23 adopted Ordinance 25-2025, which creates a new line item labeled “opioid settlement expenses” and transfers $1,200,000 from the general fund into three designated accounts. The council voted 6–0 to suspend the second and third readings and then voted 6–0 to adopt the ordinance.

Auditor Brickway told the council the village has $29,578.83 available to place into the new opioid settlement expense account. “That is the money that the village has collected so far from the opioid settlement,” she said, and described how the larger transfer would be split: $200,000 to the master plan cash account, $400,000 to the general bond cash account and $600,000 to the employee health plan cash account.

Brickway also outlined additional budget adjustments included in the ordinance: $30,000 added for fire overtime, $10,000 for workers’ compensation, $1,800 for service employee overtime (street division) and $8,000 for service department equipment outlay; she said the office fixed a leaf machine for under $8,000 instead of buying new equipment.

Council member Schultmeyer moved to suspend the second and third readings; Culbertson seconded and the roll-call suspension vote passed unanimously. A subsequent motion to adopt Ordinance 25-2025 was moved and seconded; the roll-call adoption vote also passed 6–0. The chair announced, “Ordinance number 25, 2025 is adopted as read.”

The ordinance redirects funds the auditor described as available and planned for identified uses; no amendments were proposed on the floor and the council adopted it under suspension of further readings. Next steps are administrative: the auditor will execute the transfers and the appropriations as adopted.

Council members voting in the roll calls were recorded by name during the meeting roll call and votes; the chair announced the motion carried after all recorded votes were in the affirmative.