Getting the dollars needed to battle the opioid crisis in your community as quickly as possible is the hope of the Kewaunee County Board after it approved a measure on Tuesday delegating its authority to enter into settlement agreements. Before the resolution was passed, agreements could take weeks between meetings before they would be raised before the full board for its likely approval. An approved county official will now have the authority to enter into the agreements without going to the full board. Kewaunee County Board Chairperson Dan Olson says he will still have a say on whether the county should join the settlement. Still, he does not foresee a situation where he would say no or ask the whole board to weigh in before approving. He hopes that this will allow the county departments to use the money for different programs to get it faster and more effectively.

According to ABC News, all 50 states, Washington D.C., and four U.S. territories agreed to a $7.4 billion settlement with OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma over its role in the opioid epidemic. In Wisconsin, opioid settlements brought $31 million into the state before it was distributed to municipalities. The Kewaunee County Board also received updates from the Register of Deeds, the Kewaunee County Parks Department, and the Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation during its meeting.