Athens City Council met Monday to discuss a settlement from Johnson & Johnson concerning the company’s involvement in the national opioid epidemic.
Council President Christine Knisely said Athens and all local governments in the state of Ohio with populations of over 10,000 people will have to vote regarding the settlement. Voting for the ordinance would enter the city into an agreement — referred to as a “memorandum of understanding” — with Johnson & Johnson to adhere to stipulations of the settlement.
Knisely said that according to an informational packet the body had received, Athens could receive a settlement between $98,827 and $141,182.
Due to the importance of the ordinance, the body suspended the rules and voted after the first reading. The ordinance passed unanimously.
The body also discussed an ordinance that would create an agreement with IPS Group Inc. to provide parking technology and services for the Division of Parking Services.
The rules were once again suspended, and the body voted on the ordinance. It passed unanimously.
The body also passed an ordinance that would amend the previous 2021 appropriations ordinance.
Councilman Sam Crowl, D-3rd Ward, said the ordinance accommodates for a billing change for financial software amounting to $4,900 that would split between the water, sewage and garage funds.
