Curry votes to join opioid litigation

CLOVIS — Following a 40-minute public hearing, the Curry County Commission unanimously decided to pursue joining the state's litigation against opioid manufacturers.

At the recommendation of County Attorney Stephen Doerr, commissioners decided to approach the Fadduol Law Firm out of Albuquerque to potentially take the case as Doerr said the firm already had an agreement in place with Roosevelt County.

The decision came after several members of the community encouraged the commission to explore joining the litigation.

Officials and members of the public talked about how the opioid epidemic is affecting people of all economic and social backgrounds.

"The biggest concern that I can see from all of that data is the youth. The youth are accessing these prescription painkillers and a lot of times they're getting them from home," said Curry County Office of Substance Abuse Prevention Community Program Manager Shannon Loughery.

"So on behalf of the coalition, we would definitely advocate that something is done toward this and we would also request that if any funding is received that that goes back into our community for prevention programs."

Mental Health Resources Inc. Executive Director Christopher Tokarski said that many seniors who suffer from chronic pain are overprescribed opioids.

Clovis Municipal Schools Director of Health Services Rhonda Sparks said the district has seen an uptick of students bringing prescription drugs to school.

Tokarski said that while Curry County has not been one of the areas of the country that has been hit the hardest by the opioid epidemic, the problem does exist in the community and funds received from a lawsuit could be used to prevent opioids from becoming a widespread issue in the area.

"We have an opportunity to nip it right in the bud before it really starts getting out of hand, and so why not take that in conjunction with some prevention," Tokarski said.

Also at Tuesday's meeting:

• The commission unanimously voted against the installation of a fiberglas-reinforced plastic panel at a cost of about $5,000 at the Broadview Fire Station after assurances from Davtek, Inc. owner Randy Kamradt that the company would provide painting and sealing work at no cost to the county.

Commissioner Chet Spear expressed his displeasure that the fire station, which was scheduled to be completed in August, is still under construction.

"We need to get this done," Spear said. "Senator (Pat) Woods supported this project and without his backing couldn't have got it done. So out of respect to his efforts, we need to get this project completed as quickly as possible. A year and a month is unacceptable as far as I'm concerned."

Kamradt replied, "Yes commissioner, I understand."

• Commissioner Robert Thornton was selected to join the Request for Information committee on water banking.

Thornton will join two members of the Clovis city commission, one member from the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority, one from EPCOR and non-voting member Clovis City Manager Justin Howalt on the committee in charge of recommending who will be awarded contracts for the sale or lease of water.

"There's no one on this board that has more experience, more expertise," Spear said. "He used to work for the water company. He knows what we need in the county. He knows what the city needs."

• The commission unanimously decided to discuss its thoughts on the request for proposal for naming rights for the Curry County Events Center with Curry County Manager Lance Pyle over the coming weeks and place it back on the agenda in April.

• A proclamation was issued declaring April 3 to be National Service Recognition Day.