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Josephine County approves participation in national opioid settlement; county could receive share
Summary
The Board of Commissioners voted without objection to join the National Opioid Settlement’s six-remnant-defendant participation, with counsel estimating Josephine County could receive about 2.4% of an estimated $97 million to fund school outreach officers and drug- and alcohol-treatment programs.
The Josephine County Board of Commissioners voted April 23 to participate in the National Opioid Settlement for the six remnant defendants, a move county legal counsel said could bring the county a share of settlement funds.
Legal Counsel Wally Hicks described the settlement history and said the counsel representing Oregon counties recommended participation. Hicks told the board that Josephine County’s expected allocation would be approximately 2.4% of an estimated $97 million. He said the settlement funds as presented include allowable uses such as funding school outreach officers and outsourcing drug- and alcohol-treatment services.
Commissioners did not object to moving forward; the board approved participation without a recorded roll-call vote. Hick's presentation and the board’s approval took place during the regular legal counsel update in an open session prior to an executive session.
The board did not specify a spending plan at the meeting; Hicks and county staff indicated the county would later follow the settlement’s distribution rules and guidance from the counsel representing Oregon counties on allowable programmatic uses. No formal allocation or budget adoption for specific programs was recorded at the April 23 session.
The county referenced the National Opioid Settlement terms during the discussion but did not adopt a final implementation plan. The next procedural steps include receiving detailed distribution numbers and returning to the board with recommended uses and any required budget or contract actions.
