Bradley County approves joining amended Tennessee opioid-abatement settlements

Bradley County Commissioners on Sept. 2 approved a resolution authorizing the county to join amendments to the Tennessee State-Subdivision Opioid Abatement Agreement and to approve related settlement agreements, including the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement and settlements with eight additional manufacturers.

The motion, made by Commissioner Mike Hughes and seconded by Commissioner Josh Rogers, passed unanimously (12–0; 2 absent). The resolution authorizes the Bradley County Mayor to execute amendments to the Tennessee Plan and any formal agreements necessary to implement the unified allocation and use plan for opioid-related settlement funds.

Under the resolution, Bradley County endorses the Tennessee Plan—a framework described in the resolution that sets out how settlement funds would be allocated and used to abate the opioid epidemic. The county specifically finds the amendments and the settlements “acceptable and in the best interest of the community,” and delegates authority to the mayor to sign amendments in substantially the form attached to the county resolution.

The resolution text cited two Tennessee statutes (Public Chapter No. 491 of 2021 and Public Chapter No. 302 of 2025) shaping allocation rules and noted that participation by a large majority of cities and counties would increase Tennessee’s overall settlement receipt. The county’s action follows prior local settlements with multiple distributors, manufacturers and pharmacies and is intended to make Bradley County eligible for distributions and programs funded by the statewide allocation plan.

The measure does not specify dollar amounts distributed to Bradley County in the resolution text adopted at the meeting. The resolution says its effective date is upon adoption and instructs the County Mayor to take other actions necessary to effectuate participation in the Tennessee Plan.