Avery County authorizes participation in opioid settlements; spending resolution tabled for more information

Avery County commissioners on Aug. 4 authorized the county manager to execute documents to join settlement agreements with secondary opioid manufacturers and to approve the Third Supplemental Agreement for Additional Funds (SAAF-3) and related Purdue bankruptcy-plan settlements.

The resolution, which the board adopted unanimously (3-0), cites the scale of opioid-related deaths and the need to maximize North Carolina’s share of settlement funds so that resources reach communities. The resolution authorizes execution of settlement documents subject to a county pre-audit certificate and review by the county attorney.

Separately, the board tabled — by unanimous vote — a companion resolution that would direct how Avery County would spend opioid settlement proceeds and a related budget amendment until staff can provide additional information. The transcript records the motion to adopt the authorization resolution and the subsequent motion to table the expenditure-resolution and budget amendment.

The settlement package referenced includes multiple secondary opioid manufacturer agreements and settlements related to Purdue Pharma L.P. and members of the Sackler family, and delegates certain administration functions to implementation administrators and state/local distribution mechanisms. The meeting record does not include detail on projected county shares, anticipated timelines for receipts, or the county’s intended spending priorities; those details were explicitly deferred when the expenditure resolution was tabled.