Commissioners unanimously support 'Heartbeat Bill," confirm opioid settlement compensation
On November 23, the Davidson County Commissioners held the second of their bimonthly meetings for November. The meeting primarily consisted of items for deliberation. The first was the acceptance of a donation to Senior Services from James Wikle. The commissioners emphasized their gratitude for this act of kindness during this time of giving.
Secondly, the commissioners discussed the continuation of the development agreement for Wastewater Treatment Allocation from Davidson County with Davidson Land Development. The motion to approve the plan failed unanimously despite the work done the past two years to move this project towards approval. The commissioners opted to save these gallons for the industrial complex they’ve been working on building, as that is their main priority right now.
The third item for deliberation was the approval of the National Opioid Settlement Participation and Proceeds. Davidson County joined nationwide cases to hold manufacturers and distributors accountable for the opioid crisis three years ago. By joining this agreement, Davidson County will receive two percent of what is being offered to counties as compensation from these cases. In total, 85 percent of the compensation is going to counties, while 15% is going to the state. Instead of seeking independent litigation, the commissioners approved joining this agreement unanimously.
The final item for deliberation was a proclamation of approval for the Heartbeat Bill. It passed unanimously and will be sent to the other 99 counties in North Carolina and plus Davidson County representatives at the state level. The Heartbeat Bill is a restriction on abortions that prohibits them when a heartbeat can be detected, which is as early as six weeks from conception.
Lastly, the meeting ended with a closed session regarding four cases. Two of these were only information. The third was John Mark Hedrick vs. Davidson County Sheriff deputies, and the other was Micheal Langford vs. Davidson County. Advising was given on both of these cases to conclude the meeting.
