Thornton City Council voted to opt in to receive settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors on March 14. They approved the measure unanimously through the consent agenda. 

The item was discussed at the March 7 planning session meeting. 

“I think we need to opt in, and I would also like to see a plan for how we will use those dollars,” City Councilor Karen Bigelow said at the March 7 meeting. 

Matt Court, assistant city attorney, presented the item and said the state has reached settlements with five additional opioid manufacturers and distributors. These settlements build off of previous settlements council agreed to receive in October. 

The new round is about $301 million and will be coming to Colorado from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Allergan Finance, Walmart, CVS and Walgreens over the span of 15 years. 

Court said that 20% of those funds go to local governments and will be divvied out to different municipalities across the state. 

“The city will be entitled to about $550,000,” Court said. 

That money is in addition to the settlement money from October, he said. 

City Councilor Eric Garcia said he wants to make sure the city is strategic with the money. He’d like to see the money go towards facilities medication assisted treatment and scholarships to inpatient programs. 

“Fentanyl deaths and opioid deaths right now are killing more people than anything else,” he said.