HERMANN – When the county’s advisory panel on the allocation of Gasconade County’s opioid lawsuit settlement funds meets tomorrow morning, its members will hear they will be better shape financially than first was estimated, which means a greater effort can be made in the local fight against opioid addiction.

The Gasconade County Opioid Settlement Committee is scheduled to convene Thursday morning at the conclusion of the weekly session of the County Commission. The advisory panel will make recommendations to the County Commission on how to allocate about $180,000 in settlement funds received thus far. When the committee was established earlier this year, county officials estimated it might only have about $125,000 to distribute to programs and services aimed at combating addiction to opioid-based prescription drugs.

But, according to County Treasurer Mike Feagan, because some of the pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies have opted to remit their portions of the settlement at one time rather than over a multi-year payout period, more money than first thought has been made available to local governments.

The Opioid Settlement Committee has been working since it was formed to develop a set of criteria for organizations to use in applying for a portion of the funds. The panel’s primary goal is a campaign of awareness and prevention of opioid addiction. That process is almost done, county officials said.

Headed by Kenna Fricke, the administrator of the Gasconade County Health Department, the advisory panel consists of representatives of law enforcement, emergency medical services and education agencies and local government.

But two key representatives have not attended the committee’s sessions thus far — counselors in the Gasconade County R-1 and R-2 school districts. That prompted Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte, R-Hermann, to recently voice his disappointment in a lack of input from the schools.

“I’m a little perturbed that Owensville’s counselor and Hermann’s counselor haven’t shown up,” he said.

Despite that, Schulte is optimistic about the panel doing good work in the fight against opioid addiction.

“I like our team; I like our makeup,” he said. “I like the direction it’s going.”

Funds that will be distributed result from the settlement of a lawsuit brought by state and local governments against manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioid-based medications. The painkillers can be highly addictive. Indeed, earlier reports noted that Gasconade County is among the state’s leading counties in terms of a high rate of opioid use and addiction.

The lawsuit began before the coronavirus pandemic arrived but, like all other courtroom activity, was sidelined for the duration of the shutdown. As courtroom activity resumed, the settlement was announced with the parties agreeing to a payout schedule covering about 15 years. Smaller pharmaceutical companies and smaller pharmacies who are among the defendants are opting to pay their portion of the settlement in total and exit the lawsuit, which results in more money that first estimated coming to the individual counties.

Meramec Regional Planning Commission has contracted with the county to administer the settlement distribution program. The regional agency has played a similar role regarding the distribution of the county’s CARES Act money and its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.