Reily Township Trustees discuss new speed limits and community resources

The Reily Township Trustees passed resolutions for community resources and discussed a national opioid settlement through Kroger Co. at its meeting Wednesday, June 5.

Danielle Foulk, a community prevention initiatives coordinator with the Coalition for a Healthy Community - Oxford area, asked the trustees during public participation if Reily Township could host a consistent location for the coalition to provide resources to community members.

The coalition shares free resources for community members each Wednesday at a variety of locations throughout Oxford and the surrounding townships. The locations rotate each week and include Darrtown, the Milford Township Community Center and Kramer Elementary. The health and safety supplies distributed at these locations range from books to Narcan and fentanyl strips; Lane Library is also contributing, as well as TOPSS food pantry. However, if a community member cannot make the stop that particular day, different locations are open each Wednesday.

“The hope is that we can bring a lot of resources in,” Foulk said during the meeting. “So whether it's a mom who wants to come bring their kids to get their books, or if somebody needs band aids, if somebody needs anything at all and all of it’s free.”

While the coalition has decided to visit Reily Township on the first Wednesday of each month starting in July, they had not decided on a location until the trustees meeting. The trustees approved a new location in the Reily Community Center parking lot, 6093 Reily Millville Road, on the first Wednesday of each month from 5-6 p.m.

Following issues from the public, the trustees discussed a change in the speed limit on Reily Township's half of Booth road because of speeding complaints. According to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the road's current speed limit is 55 miles per hour. Municipalities must request speed limit changes from ODOT after completing speed zone studies.

Once the study was completed by the Butler County Engineers Office, they deemed it acceptable for the road to be 40 miles per hour. Oxford Township approved their half of the road to be changed and at the meeting Reily approved to alter their half as well.

Kathy Dudley, the Reily Township Zoning Commission secretary, spoke to trustees about a new national opioid settlement. According to the settlement overview, “A proposed nationwide settlement agreement has been reached that would resolve the legal claims of states and local political subdivisions against regional supermarket pharmacy Kroger Co. related to alleged misconduct related to opioids.”

The settlement states that Kroger Co. would need to pay around 8 billion dollars to abate the opioid epidemic. $1.2 billion of that would be used by participating states and subdivisions to lessen the effects of the epidemic. The settlement also lays out opioid dispensing practices and requires Kroger Co. to implement safeguards for overdose prevention.

According to the settlement, each state and eligible subdivision within that state can decide to participate in the settlement or not., and Ohio has elected to partake. Since Ohio joined, more funds will flow to the state and connected subdivisions. However, a subdivision is also required to “opt in” to the settlement by Aug. 12, 2024.

The next Reily Township Trustees meeting has been changed to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, with the next meeting at 7 p.m. on July 2.