Levelland council approves opioid settlements, authorizes city manager to execute documents

The Levelland City Council voted unanimously Oct. 6 to approve participation in the opioid settlements with Purdue and secondary manufacturers and authorized the city manager to execute any necessary documents.

Councilmember Michael Stueart moved “To approve the Opioid Settlements with Purdue and the Secondary Manufacturers, and authorize the City Manager to execute any necessary documents.” Jaime McCabe seconded the motion, which "carried unanimously," according to the meeting minutes. The city reported it had received notification from the Texas Attorney General’s Office that action was required before Oct. 8 and Oct. 30.

The motion delegates authority to City Manager James Fisher to sign settlement paperwork and any required forms on behalf of the city. The minutes do not specify the expected settlement payment amounts or how funds—if any—would be allocated by the city. The record lists the council members present for the vote as Mayor Breann Buxkemper, Mayor Pro Tem Michael Stueart, Councilmember Max Ledesma and Councilmember Jaime McCabe (Bill Powell was listed as absent).

City officials did not take additional action at the meeting to detail distribution, budgeting, or timing of possible funds from the settlements; the minutes record only the approval and authorization. Next steps appear to be administrative: executing documents to meet the Texas Attorney General’s Office deadlines and any subsequent implementation actions that would be brought back to council if required.