Evanston council authorizes joining Wyoming opioid settlement, waiving separate suits

The Evanston City Council on a voice vote authorized the execution of a memorandum agreement to join a statewide settlement with the three largest opioid distributors, city attorney Dennis Bole told the council.

Bole said the agreement, negotiated by the Wyoming attorney general's office, could yield up to $44,000,000 for Wyoming if all eligible communities participate, and estimated that Evanston's total share would be “a little bit more than $550,000” at the high end and “a little less than $300,000” at the low end, paid over several years. “We are giving up the city's right to sue these distributors on our own,” Bole said, noting the city could still combine its allocation with county funds for local abatement programs.

The council discussed the trade-offs before voting to adopt Resolution 22-01. A council member who spoke in support described the scope of the local opioid problem and urged that any funds be used for treatment and prevention programs. Council members noted Sweetwater County had already signed the agreement and said that, if the city’s allocation proved small, it could be directed into the state program reserved for statewide abatement.

Bole told the council that the city lacked in-house capacity and legal resources to pursue a separate, successful lawsuit against the distributors and that the state process had done much of the litigation work that an individual municipality would otherwise need to fund. The resolution directs the mayor or authorized official to execute the settlement memorandum and to coordinate with the county and Human Services Board on distribution of any local funds.

The resolution passed by voice vote. Councilors did not record a roll-call tally on the record; the chair declared the motion approved. The council did not specify timing for when the first payment to Evanston would arrive beyond the attorney’s estimate that the city might receive roughly $20,000 in the first year.