Monongalia County has opted out of a first-of-its-kind national negotiating class aimed at consolidating lawsuits against opiate manufacturers and distributors.
At the urging of legal counsel, the commission on Wednesday voted to refuse participation in any negotiations made possible by a recent ruling from U.S. District Judge Dan Polster, of Cleveland, aimed at consolidating thousands of lawsuits in order to encourage settlements.
According to national reporting on the issue, it would be presumed that any municipalities and counties that didn’t opt out of the national negotiating class by Nov. 22 were opting in and would have court-appointed attorneys negotiating on their behalf.
In March 2018, the commission signed on to a state class-action suit brought by the Fitzsimmons Law Firm, based in Wheeling.
Commissioner Sean Sikora explained Wednesday that lumping itself in with this national negotiating class would eliminate the county from being a part of any future settlements.
“This would basically lock us in if they were to go forward and have a settlement. Instead, we’ve opted to go ahead and let the courts run its course,” Sikora said. “We’re not entering a mass settlement group right now. We’re allowing the case to proceed.”
In other commission news, the county opened bids for a tow system and snow machine for the sledding hill at Chestnut Ridge Park.
The bids — $48,350 for a 300-foot Sunkid tubing tow lift, and $122,120 for an HKD Snowmakers three-phase generator with a snow-making attachment — were forwarded to Chestnut Ridge Superintendent Amy Hettick for review.
The project is aimed at increasing the number of days the park’s sledding hill is active and will be funded from money earmarked for county parks in the current parks and trails levy.
The Commission also heard from Dana Johnson, who runs the Monongalia County Canine Adoption Center.
Johnson was on hand to recommend approval of a $26,207.12 bid from CBE Animal Cages.
Johnson said she’s saved about $18,000 in donations over the last 15 years and asked the commission to provide an additional $10,000 to outfit the center with new cages, which it agreed to do.
Also on Wednesday, the commission:
Approved up to $1,500 to assist the town of Blacksville with sidewalk repairs.
Approved a request from Main Street Morgantown to place a holiday tree on the courthouse square from Dec. 1 through Jan. 2.
