Grundy County Board welcomes new member

MORRIS – The Grundy County Board welcomed a new member during Tuesday night’s board meeting.

The appointment of Jerald White of Morris comes after Ellen Hanson resigned in November, leaving a vacancy in District 1. In accordance with state law, the party Hanson was affiliated with, in this case the Republican party, is responsible for nominating a new board member.

White has lived in Morris for 23 years and served on the White Oak District 54 school board for two terms, which ended in the spring.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be on the board,” White said. “I hope to continue the good work that everyone is doing and hopefully I can find my place in it, as well.”

In other news:

The board passed a resolution authorizing, Board Chairman Chris Balkema to do all acts necessary to allow Grundy County to participate in the pending opioid settlement.

Grundy County States Attorney, Jason Helland gave background on the lawsuit, stating that a few years ago the board brought in an attorney to discuss whether the county should bring in an outside attorney to represent the interests of the county. However, the county believed it would be best not to move forward with private council.

“I was of the opinion then and I am of the opinion now that it is appropriate for the matter to be handled through the Attorney General’s office and that is because our injuries were similar to other counties and other municipalities,” Helland said.

The resolution came after years of negotiations from two proposed nationwide settlement agreements meant to resolve all opioid litigation brought by states and local political subdivisions against the three largest pharmaceutical distributors, McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen. The settlement includes manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson.

“There has been no dollar amount for Illinois, but what the conversations have been, is essentially that counties and municipalities will be awarded funds based on size,” Helland said. “There is absolutely no downside to participate when the attorneys that represent the state have assured all 102 state’s attorneys that the settlement is worked out and the settlement is such a large amount that it would need to be paid over an extended period of time.”