The Lake County Board of Commissioners has started allocating the nearly $6.4 million the county received from a weedkiller cancer nationwide class action lawsuit settlement.
Bayer Corp., which acquired Monsanto in 2018, has been served with about 170,000 lawsuits alleging that it failed to warn consumers that its popular Roundup weedkiller could cause cancer. The company has set aside $16 billion to settle cases throughout the country.
Many U.S. farmers rely on Roundup, which was introduced 50 years ago as a more efficient way to control weeds and reduce tilling and soil erosion. For crops including corn, soybeans and cotton, it’s designed to work with genetically modified seeds that resist Roundup’s deadly effect.
The lawsuits allege Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, causes a cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Though some studies associate glyphosate with cancer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed.
In Lake County, the commissioners will divide the $6.4 million between the three board members, said board attorney Matthew Fech. In early spring, the commissioners allocated $1 million to the Gary Public Transportation Corp.
The Gary Public Transportation Corp will use the funds toward maintaining the Lake Shore South Bus route, providing weekday fixed bus routes and paratransit service for the cities of Hammond, Highland and Munster, providing required maintenance and inspections for vehicles used on the fixed paratransit routes, providing quarterly ridership reports and continuing growth of the transportation system, according to the agreement.
The commissioners approved July 17 another $386,854 to be spent on three projects in within the Northeast section of the county, said Commissioner Michael Repay.
“These early projects are focused on the northeast side of the county, but all geographic areas will have something,” Repay said. “The projects will vary.”
The commissioners approved interlocal cooperation agreements with the Town of New Chicago for $120,000 for equipment for the New Chicago Police Department and the Gary Community School Corporation for $146,854 for equipment and improvements for West Side High School Athletics.
Additionally, the Gary Police Department will receive $262,006 from Lake County. The council approved $142,006 from its budget July 9 while the commissioners approved $120,000 from its budget July 17 for equipment and improvements.
“I’m using these funds to support the governmental units, in my area as commissioner, for public safety and infrastructure,” said Commissioner Kyle Allen.
The Gary Police Department will use the funds to purchase secure rifle storage for police vehicles, new signage for the police station and to outfit the animal control vehicles, said Gary Police chief Derrick Cannon in a statement.
“These critical investments will help us continue to build a safer and more resilient community,” Cannon said.
Under the agreement, the equipment will belong to the city once it is purchased. The city will provide the county with proof of purchase to fulfill the agreement, according to a county news release.
Lake County Councilman Ron Brewer Sr., D-2nd, said in a release that a partnership between the county and city will help with public safety efforts. Brewer, who served on the Gary Common Council for more than a decade, said the funding will help the police department obtain some necessary equipment outside of its budget so it can focus more resources on surveillance and the Real Time Crime Center.
“This will be a plus. It will move the department in the direction of filling some gaps so police can make sure they are able to do a decent job for the citizens of Gary,” Brewer said in the release.
The Associated Press contributed.
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