Parkersburg City Council approves class action opioid settlement
Attorney Charles “Rusty” Webb spoke to Parkersburg City Council about the framework for settlements among West Virginia and cities and counties participating in multiple lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg Engineer Adam Stout, center, discussed proposed uses for stormwater improvement money allocated from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funding. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg City Councilman J.R. Carpenter asked a question about a memorandum of understanding for opioid lawsuit settlements during Tuesday’s council meeting. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg Finance Director Eric Jiles spoke during a Parkersburg City Council Finance Committee meeting Tuesday at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
From left, Melissa Southall, self-advocate coordinator for People First of West Virginia; Morgan Spicer, special projects cooordinator for the Arc of the Mid-Ohio Valley; and Randall Siers, executive director of SW Resources, pose for a photo taken by Arc Chief Operating Officer Doug Hess as a proclamation declaring March Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month was read during Tuesday’s Parkersburg City Council meeting. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Attorney Charles “Rusty” Webb spoke to Parkersburg City Council about the framework for settlements among West Virginia and cities and counties participating in multiple lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg Engineer Adam Stout, center, discussed proposed uses for stormwater improvement money allocated from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funding. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg City Councilman J.R. Carpenter asked a question about a memorandum of understanding for opioid lawsuit settlements during Tuesday’s council meeting. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg Finance Director Eric Jiles spoke during a Parkersburg City Council Finance Committee meeting Tuesday at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
From left, Melissa Southall, self-advocate coordinator for People First of West Virginia; Morgan Spicer, special projects cooordinator for the Arc of the Mid-Ohio Valley; and Randall Siers, executive director of SW Resources, pose for a photo taken by Arc Chief Operating Officer Doug Hess as a proclamation declaring March Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month was read during Tuesday’s Parkersburg City Council meeting. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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PARKERSBURG -- Parkersburg City Council on Tuesday approved participation in class action settlements with other cities and counties for opioid lawsuits and allocated the remainder of its first installment of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The city stands to receive about $155,467.60 from a settlement reached last year by Attorney General Patrick Morrisey with McKinsey and Company Inc., which helped pharmaceutical companies market opioid painkillers, according to Charleston attorney Charles "Rusty" Webb, who represented Parkersburg and more than 40 other West Virginia cities and counties.
But the framework will also apply to future settlements with drug-makers and pharmacies, he said.
"We're expecting more settlements and judgments, quite frankly," Webb said. "There's going to be substantially more money, relatively soon, added to that."
The memorandum of understanding, which was approved on an 8-0 vote with Councilman Mike Reynolds absent, sets forth acceptable uses of the money, including providing the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and training to use it, supporting a variety of treatment approaches and funding prevention programs, law enforcement and research.
"As long as the use of the funds are within the scope of this memorandum of understanding, you have a lot of flexibility," City Attorney Blaine Myers said. "It would be appropriated by City Council."
Members of council's Finance Committee met earlier in the evening to go over the proposed allocations for the remaining $2,878,424 in American Rescue Plan funds awarded to the city in June. Another $10.9 million is due this year.
After reducing the amount of money for premium pay to city workers by $15,803 to reflect the actual cost versus the original estimate, the resolution, which also passed 8-0, would allocate $1,894,227 to the Southwood Pool project and $1 million for stormwater improvements.
The nearly $1.9 million for the pool is part of up to $10 million the city can claim as lost revenue due to the pandemic under federal guidelines. It will be placed in a dedicated parks and recreation capital projects fund, rather than intermingled in the general fund, so that it is "only spent on its intended purpose," Finance Director Eric Jiles said.
That brings the total allocated for the rebuild of the pool to nearly $2.8 million. Mayor Tom Joyce said it is unlikely the work will start this year due to delays in obtaining materials.
"We can operate the pool this year for sure," he said.
The city has a little more than half a million dollars budgeted for stormwater work, primarily lining old pipes to ensure they continue to function, Engineer Adam Stout said. With the ARPA funds added, about $600,000 will be dedicated to redesigning and replacing the storm sewer along Broadway Avenue.
The road will also be dug up as part of the Parkersburg Utility Board's planned water improvements.
"It's going to be obliterated for months, but once it's finally back, we're going to have new stormwater, new water and a new paved road," Stout said.
Reynolds, who attended the Finance meeting, said he plans to call a Stormwater Committee meeting after the upcoming budget hearings to go over Stout's plans for the rest of the funding.
Council ended Tuesday's meeting by resolving into the Committee of the Whole for the budget hearings, which begin at 6 p.m. Thursday in council chambers.