Richland County Board approves addendum to include Kroger in opioid settlement

The Richland County Board at a special meeting approved a resolution authorizing the county to sign an addendum that would include a Kroger settlement in the county's opioid memorandum of understanding.

A county staff member told the board the Kroger addendum "is the exact same as all of the other agreements" and said the packet shows the county's share as "0.218 of the overall settlement, which is a $1,400,000,000 settlement." The staff member warned that "if it's not, we all lose out on the money," and said the county must return signed documents by Aug. 12 so it remains eligible.

Board members asked whether the settlement funds carry a spending deadline and who tracks expenditures. A staff member said there is no known overall spending deadline and that opioid settlement receipts are placed in a separate county fund; "every single expenditure is tracked," the staff member said. Board members also noted a county HHS grant program that has been authorized to distribute some of the funds.

The staff member explained Kroger was named because the company operates pharmacies and therefore was included among distributors and pharmacies alleged to have contributed to increases in opioid availability. The staff member said the county has already received settlements from other retailers, naming Walmart, CVS and Walgreens as examples.

The chair introduced the resolution (transcribed in the packet as 24-56624-6). A motion to adopt the resolution was made by Mr. Frank and seconded by Supervisor Fleming; the board approved the resolution by voice vote. The meeting then heard no public comments and adjourned.

What happens next: The staff member said fully executed documents must be returned to the coordinating counsel by Aug. 12 for Richland County to remain eligible for the funds; the transcript did not provide a timetable for when the county's proceeds would be deposited.