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Committee approves opioid settlement with Public Supermarkets; members seek clarity on amount and spending plan
Summary
The committee authorized a settlement with Public Supermarkets Inc.; members asked whether the payout was $86,000, $8.6 million or $86 million, and Metro officials said spending will be managed by the health department under settlement agreements.
The Budget and Finance Committee approved a resolution authorizing the Metropolitan government to settle opioid‑related claims with Public Supermarkets Inc. during its regular meeting.
Council member Allen asked repeatedly whether the settlement total was $86,000, $8,600,000 or $86,000,000. Allison Bussell of the Metropolitan Department of Law said she could not provide exact expenditure details but explained that funds received through opioid settlements are managed by the Metro Department of Health and distributed according to settlement agreements and stakeholder planning.
Kristen Zack of the Metro Department of Health described the department’s approach: she said two RFPs have been issued so far, resulting in contracts spanning prevention, health promotion, treatment, recovery and harm reduction, and that awarded projects are intended to cover a continuum of care. Zack said future contracts include projects across prevention, treatment and recovery and that materials and referral specifics are handled through program management units.
Dave Rosenberg of the mayor’s office addressed the numeric question directly in the hearing record: "this settlement's for about $86,000," he said. The record contains conflicting references and questions about the scale of the settlement; the transcript captures both Allen’s question about millions and Rosenberg’s remark about $86,000. Committee debate focused on how the health department will prioritize spending and which providers will receive referrals.
After discussion, the committee voted to approve the settlement authorization. No further appropriation breakdowns or an itemized spending plan were provided at the meeting; the health department was identified as the steward of settlement funds in accordance with the settlement agreements.
