Commissioners approve three-year consultant contract and sign onto new opioid litigation (pending attorney OK)

The Blackford County Commissioners voted to approve a three-year agreement with DASA Consultant LLC to provide professional consulting services related to claims and collections and moved to authorize county participation in a separate national opioid litigation.

During discussion, the clerk outlined two pricing options: "we have to sign a contract and decide on whether we want to do the $55,000 for 1 year or do 3 years for 13,500, which is a savings of, I think, 1,500," the clerk said. A commissioner moved to approve the three-year option and another commissioner seconded; the board approved the motion by voice vote.

On a separate item, the chair read a proposed participation/settlement form for an additional opioid litigation described in the meeting as the "national prescription opioid litigation, ball number 2804." A commissioner said the action "gives us an opportunity for opioid settlement funds in the future beyond the current settlement" and moved to approve participation; the motion was seconded and the board approved the action "pending Aubrey's approval," as recorded in the meeting.

Why it matters: consultant contracts for claims work can affect county revenue recovery and workload; joining additional opioid litigation can make the county eligible for future settlement distributions but may require final legal review and signature from county counsel.

What the record shows: the contract pricing and savings were stated on the record by the clerk but the clerk also expressed uncertainty about the exact savings amount. The opioid participation motion was approved subject to the county attorney (referred to in discussion as Aubrey) confirming or finalizing the county's participation.

Next steps: county staff will finalize contract paperwork and seek the attorney's final approval for opioid-litigation participation before signing.