By Steven Allen Adams, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The public/private foundation tasked with allocating hundreds of millions of dollars of opioid settlement dollars is still working on a meeting and transparency policy.
The foundation voted to go into executive session to talk privately about what a meeting and transparency policy should look like.
“We want to put together a really good meeting and transparency policy that gives (the public) comfort that we are being good stewards with their money, and that we’re here to help,” said foundation President Matt Harvey, the prosecuting attorney for Jefferson County. “I don’t think we’re at a position to go forward on it today. It’s still a work in progress, and I think any further discussion of it would be most appropriate in the executive session.”
Representatives of the cities and counties involved in opioid litigation – as well as the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office – agreed to a memorandum of understanding last year to create the private foundation, as well as a formula for distributing settlement awards. The MOU included all 55 counties and more than 220 cities.
The West Virginia First Foundation held a virtual meeting over Microsoft Teams Monday afternoon with its directors. They gathered for the first time on Nov. 6.