Assistant City Attorney Abigail Giroux explains the opioid settlement memorandum of understanding as Mayor Dwaine Heinrich and the other committee members listen

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Jamestown Finance & Legal Committee received an update regarding the North Dakota State and Political Subdivisions Opioid Settlement Memorandum of Understanding.

The update follows a settlement reached with a nationwide agreement with Johnson & Johnson. Assistant City Attorney Abigail Giroux explained the total settlement nationwide is approximately $3 billion.

Giroux says the entire settlement will be allocated to all 50 states, which will then be allocated to each state, followed by each subdivision over a period of roughly 10 years.

While amounts aren’t known, Giroux says it will depend on the amount of entities that participate.

Mayor Dwaine Heinrich informed the committee that he would like a unanimous decision before he signs the city into the agreement.

The committee voted 4 to 1 with Councilmember Dan Buchanan opposed. A special meeting will be scheduled next week in order to discuss the agreement further.

In other committee business, it was recommended to accept the proposal from SRF Consulting for Planning and Zoning Technical Services for 2022 in an amount not to exceed $20,000.

The committee also recommended sending a request from the North Dakota Cares steering committee for the Jamestown community per the October 2018 City Council resolution, to help improve understanding of the needs and services for military service members, veterans, and their families.