The Bartlesville City Council voted unanimously to approve Resolution 37-48 to participate in settlement agreements related to opioid litigation that name Purdue Pharma LP, members of the Sackler family and several drug manufacturers, the council said at a special meeting called on short notice.

City Attorney Jess Cain told the council the city received notice of the settlements late and was put on a tight timeline after outside counsel alerted her that the filing deadline was Sept. 30. “Todd Court with McAfee and Taft said, ‘the deadline is the September 30. So, you need to get on top of it fast,’” Cain said, recounting communications from the outside lawyer. Cain later told the council, “If you guys want the money, we need to proceed immediately. If you don't want the money, then we can just ignore it. So that's what I know.”

The resolution authorizes the mayor or the mayor’s designee to execute a subdivision participation form so the city can be included in settlement distributions if and when the settlements are approved. Cain emphasized that the settlements must still be approved by the bankruptcy court and that the council does not yet know how much Bartlesville, if anything, would receive or how any funds would be distributed.

Council members asked how previous opioid-settlement dollars had been used. Staff and the city’s police chief said earlier rounds of opioid-settlement funding were routed through multi-jurisdictional arrangements and grants, including partnerships with local mental-health providers. The city used prior funds to expand its crisis/emergency response team by adding two social workers through a contract with Grand Mental Health, officials said. One staff member said prior funding “was about $100,000 a year” to support local services, and the city’s share was part of a larger pass-through distributed by the state.

Cain said the current round of settlement money could be distributed in several ways: direct payments to the city, restricted grants, or pass-through allocations administered by the state. “We just don't have that information,” she said, adding that how the money could be used would be a future council decision if funds arrive.

Council members approved the resolution by voice vote. Voting as recorded in the meeting: Mister Schurick — Aye; Mister East — Aye; Mister Kirkpatrick — Aye; Vice Mayor Dorsey — Aye; Mayor Kirk — Aye. The mayor declared the motion passed.

The council briefly discussed long-range options for any settlement proceeds, including conducting a community-wide mental-health assessment similar to one completed in Edmond, which officials said led to additional grants. Cain said such an assessment would be “not inexpensive” and would be a later, separate decision if the city receives funds.

The council took no further action on spending decisions at the special meeting. Staff said details about allocations, administrative procedures and any grant application process will be brought back to the council after the settlements are finalized and amounts to subdivisions are known.

Votes at a glance
Resolution 37-48 — Authorize the city to participate in opioid-related settlement agreements (Purdue Pharma LP, members of the Sackler family, and multiple manufacturers listed in the resolution) and authorize the mayor or the mayor’s designee to execute subdivision participation forms. Motion: not specified. Second: not specified. Vote: 5–0 (Mister Schurick, Mister East, Mister Kirkpatrick, Vice Mayor Dorsey, Mayor Kirk — all Aye). Outcome: approved.