Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legal And Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners approve opioid settlement fee reduction and hire grant writer
Summary
County legal counsel secured approval to reduce attorney fees in recent opioid settlements to 15% per state statute; commissioners also approved a contract with Jamie Walker for grant‑writing services (up to $7,200 plus success fees).
Tucker Law Office counsel reported that recent opioid settlements involving multiple manufacturers require a supplemental amendment to reduce attorney fees from one‑third to 15% under Indiana statute; the commission approved the amendment and authorized the county president to sign the paperwork.
"Under the terms of the settlement and the Indiana statute, the attorney fees need to be reduced ... to 15%," counsel said, and commissioners moved to approve the supplemental amendment.
Separately, the board approved a proposed independent contractor agreement with Jamie Walker to provide grant‑writing services at $75 per hour, not to exceed $7,200 annually, with success fees of 5% for grants under $5,000 and 7.5% for grants over $5,000 to be paid from awards. Commissioners discussed county‑wide use of the contractor on a case‑by‑case basis.
Why it matters: Reducing attorney fees brings the county’s settlements into alignment with state statute and affects net settlement distributions. Hiring a dedicated grant writer is intended to increase the county’s capacity to compete for external funding, including programs discussed elsewhere in the meeting.
What comes next: Counsel will execute the fee amendment per statute and the contract with the grant writer will commence as executed; both items were approved by vote.
