Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell wants a legal opinion asserting whether the county is subject to a spending limitation for opioid settlement funds it’s now receiving.
Mitchell requested an official opinion on the matter from Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes on July 8.
Maricopa County brought a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies for perpetuating the state’s opioid epidemic and won.
Now, Mitchell wants clarity on whether an expenditure limit in the state constitution applies to that money.
Arizona counties and municipalities are set to receive more than half of the settlement funds; $639 million to be exact.
Maricopa County alone is supposed to get $218 million over the next 18 years, and the county has already started receiving some of the money.
The funds are specifically meant to aid in drug treatment and addiction prevention.
Fields Moseley, communications director for the county, said in an email that the county Board of Supervisors has asked the county attorney for legal advice on the limit “as it relates to opioid settlement funds.”
The county attorney’s media relations team said in an email that the expenditure limit could be changed by a state ballot measure if it does apply.
As for how much of the settlement funds could be affected by an expenditure limit, the county attorney’s office said it depends.
“There are many different factors, formulas and many moving parts that play a role if the expenditure limitation applies,” the media relations team stated in an email.
