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Catawba County authorizes joining new opioid settlements, approving distribution agreement
Summary
The Board unanimously authorized the County Manager to sign documents joining revised Purdue/Sackler and eight secondary-manufacturer opioid settlements and to approve the statewide supplemental agreement (SAAF-3) governing distribution of funds for opioid abatement in North Carolina.
The Catawba County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 4 to authorize the county manager to execute documents necessary to join revised opioid settlements with Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family and eight generic manufacturers, and to approve the Third Supplemental Agreement for Additional Funds (SAAF-3) that governs distribution of settlement proceeds across North Carolina.
The resolution (No. 2025-29) endorses the statewide Memorandum of Agreement that directs 85% of settlement dollars to local governments for abatement activities and authorizes the county to provide required documents to Rubris, the implementation administrator handling allocations and distribution. Commissioner Cole Setzer moved adoption; the motion carried unanimously.
County staff told the Board the new Purdue/Sackler settlement is expected to add funding to North Carolina over 15 years, and separate settlements with eight manufacturers are expected to add additional funds over 10 years. Under the MOA framework approved previously in North Carolina, funds are allocated with a local-share component for counties and municipalities and with allowable uses limited to opioid remediation and related public-health and prevention programs.
The Board’s authorization does not itself specify program-level spending; county staff said Catawba County has created a special revenue fund for opioid settlement proceeds and is evaluating strategies to direct funds toward treatment, prevention, recovery supports and other abatement priorities. The county noted there is no statutory spending deadline attached to the settlements, but funds are subject to the MOA’s allowable-use provisions and audit requirements.
The County Attorney confirmed execution of settlement and SAAF-3 documents and delivery of required administrative materials to Rubris are the operational steps necessary for North Carolina to receive its full allocated share.
The Board took the action at the Aug. 4 regular meeting; the resolution passed unanimously.
