As they gear up for a busy fall schedule, Falls Church city leaders are preparing to seek their share of a $6.5 billion national opioid settlement.
City Council members on Sept. 8 are slated to approve action notifying Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares that the city will participate in the state government’s proposed settlement with Purdue Pharma and its primary owner, the Sackler family.
Localities across the commonwealth are facing a Sept. 30 deadline to decide whether to become part of the settlement group, or attempt to recover money on their own.
Under an agreement between the U.S. government and Purdue Pharma, the agreed-upon $6.5 billion will be paid out over 15 years, with the first payment expected next year. How much Falls Church or any other jurisdiction will receive is not yet determined.
The agreement is one of a number between government bodies and the pharmaceutical industry to settle litigation. Funding will be used to support programs addressing opioid misuse in local communities.
City officials also plan to join Virginia’s participation in a multistate opioid settlement involving eight other opioid manufacturers: Alvogen, Amneal, Apotex, Hikma, Indivior, Mylan, Sun and Zydus.
That settlement offers a national recovery of up to approximately $720 million, city officials said.
In other Falls Church news:
No agreement yet with Arlington on fire service: It likely will be late October before the Falls Church and Arlington governments finalize updates to a longstanding fire-services agreement.
City Manager Wyatt Shields on Aug. 26 told Council members he anticipates the final agreement to be ready for action at the Oct. 27 meeting.
While the draft agreement “went through the [Arlington] county attorney’s office and our attorney’s office,” details continue to be ironed out, Shields said.
Shields said he did not believe any of the outstanding issues would require consideration at a Council work session prior to the Oct. 27 meeting, but would let elected officials know if they did.
Under the updated agreement first detailed in the spring, Falls Church could pay up to 20% more for fire and ambulance services provided by the Arlington County government.
November will bring tree-canopy discussion: A proposal to update tree-canopy requirements in new development is likely to be finalized by the end of the year, according to Falls Church officials.
The proposals, currently in the draft stage, will be presented to City Council members at their Nov. 10 meeting, with a public hearing and adoption planned for Dec. 8.
The proposal for higher tree-canopy coverage in new development was first discussed in the spring. It likely will apply only to commercial and mixed-use properties, not residential construction.
According to city staff, the overall tree-canopy coverage in Falls Church is about 48%.
Long layover between Council meetings: Two upcoming City Council meetings are expected to be canceled, leading to a long period between meetings.
At their Aug. 27 agenda-setting session, Council members tentatively agreed to cancel the Sept. 22 meeting due to conflicts with the Rosh Hashanah holiday. The Oct. 14 meeting also would be canceled, owing to Council members attending the Virginia Municipal League’s annual conference.
As a result, there will be no formal meetings occurring between Sept. 8 and Oct. 27.
City Manager Wyatt Shields said he saw no challenges with the lengthy dormant period. While formal meetings will not be held during that seven-week period, a number of work sessions will take place, he said.
