City of Granite Shoals opts into national class action opioid settlement
While Granite Shoals city leaders aren’t sure yet on how they will spend the money from a national opioid lawsuit settlement, they did know they wanted their portion.
The City Council was asked to approve a resolution to accept $11,163, the city’s allotment from Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceuticals Inc., which comes from a national opioid class action lawsuit. The council approved the resolution unanimously.
“We can use it for training for the police department and first responders, supplies, public education, stuff like that,” Police Chief Gary Boshears said. “We’re asking the council to approve the city joining the settlement so we can get paperwork submitted.”
The deadline to participate is Jan. 2, though Granite Shoals didn’t receive word on how to apply before Dec. 9.
Granite Shoals is the latest Burnet County entity to join the lawsuit. Burnet County approved its resolution in October and the city of Marble Falls approved its resolution in early December.
In other news, City Manager Jeff Looney told the council that the Texas Department of Transportation studied the entry to the city’s fire department at 8410 RR 1431 West and was considering installing a flashing light.
“He had to meet with his supervisors and look at issues,” Looney said. “We’d love for that to occur. We want to see if that could be done.”
The installation of a flashing light that would be turned on when firefighters are called out for an emergency has been talked about for almost a year. Firefighters would have the ability to turn on the lights to alert motorists of an emergency and give the first responders a clear path to enter RR 1431.
The issue is cost. At the beginning of the year, the cost was projected to be $10,000 if the state paid for it or $14,500 if the city picked up the tab. Either way, Looney said, few people in Granite Shoals need to be convinced of the need for a flashing light.
“The City Council understands the gravity of the situation,” he said. “I believe the City Council would fund what we need to do because of the safety for the citizens and for the firemen.”
The council also cast all 156 of its votes for Councilor Bruce Jones to remain as a board member of the Burnet Central Appraisal District for 2022-23.
The council also approved a list of priorities with dates submitted by Jones and Councilor Samantha Ortis.