By Adam Swift
More than $250,000, the initial payment in a statewide opioid settlement, has been transferred to a special trust fund in Revere.
Monday night, the City Council approved transferring the $254,470 for calendar year 2022, the first year of the settlement, to the new Opioid Recovery and Remediation Trust Fund. Revere is slated to receive over $1.2 million as a result of the settlement through 2038.
The council had the option of reviewing the transfer in subcommittee, but unanimously voted to move ahead and approve the transfer to the trust fund.
“I have no problem whatsoever, we talked about creating the trust fund at our last meeting, and it just makes perfect sense to fund it,†said Councillor-at-Large Dan Rizzo. “It just makes perfect sense to fund it, the funding is there, (city finance director Richard Viscay) shows where the money was allocated in the general fund and it’s just a matter of sliding it over.â€
Last month, the council approved setting up the trust fund.
“The purpose of this trust fund, once established, will be to supplement prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery programs throughout the city,†stated Viscay.
In July of 2021, state Attorney General Maura Healey announced a $26 billion resolution with opioid distributors and Johnson & Johnson which will provide more than $500 million to Massachusetts and its cities and towns for prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services.
Per the state’s revenue department, all the money collected from the settlement goes into a municipality’s general fund unless a general law exists to spend it for a particular purpose.
The vote to create the special trust fund allows the city to use the funds in the manner set out in the opioid settlement.
Healey, the governor-elect, also has several other potential opioid settlements in the works, which could mean more money for cities and towns.
On Nov. 15, Healey announced a proposed $3 billion nationwide resolution with Walmart, which could provide more than $61 million to cities and towns in Massachusetts.
On Nov. 23, Healey announced a proposed $6.6 billion nationwide resolution with drugmakers Teva and Allergan, which will provide more than $130 million to the Commonwealth and its cities and towns for prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery across Massachusetts, once finalized. The AG stated that the parties are optimistic that the proposed settlements will gain critical support from attorneys general nationwide, so that local governments have an opportunity to join the resolutions during the first quarter of 2023.  
