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Rhea County authorizes joining statewide opioid-abatement agreement and related settlements

Rhea County Board of Commissioners · March 1, 2026

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Summary

The commission approved joining amendments to the Tennessee State-Subdivision Opioid Abatement Agreement and authorized the county executive to execute related settlement documents, aligning the county with state and local governments pursuing opioid-abatement funds.

Rhea County commissioners voted Aug. 19 to authorize the county to join the State of Tennessee and other local governments in amending the Tennessee State-Subdivision Opioid Abatement Agreement and to approve related settlement agreements that channel opioid-settlement dollars to abatement efforts.

What the resolution does: Resolution 25-08-65 authorizes Rhea County to adopt the Tennessee Plan framework for allocating and using opioid- litigation settlement funds, authorizes the county executive to sign amendments to the plan and related settlement documents, and expresses county support for a unified allocation methodology. The packet cites prior state legislation (Public Chapter No. 491 of 2021 and Public Chapter No. 302 of 2025) that addresses distribution and statutory application of opioid-settlement funds.

Why it matters: Joining a statewide agreement increases the likelihood of coordinated funding to abatement programs (treatment, prevention, recovery supports) and generally allows counties to benefit from larger, consolidated settlement agreements reached with manufacturers and distributors. The resolution does not state specific dollar amounts for Rhea County, which will depend on final settlement allocations and any future distributions from the Purdue bankruptcy or manufacturer settlements.

Next steps: The county executive is authorized to execute the Tennessee Plan amendments and the settlement documents once the county’s legal and administrative review is complete. The resolution also directs county coordination as needed to implement approved abatement programs and funding allocations.