In the past week, 28 counties in Wisconsin filed suit against opioid manufacturers, seeking redress for a deadly crisis that is straining their public emergency response and health services.

The Mower County Board of Commissioners came out of closed session on Tuesday poised to do the same.

The board voted 4-0, with Chairman Tim Gabrielson absent, to, as stated by County Attorney Kristen Nelsen, “indicate that the county is willing and would like to go forward with litigation to pursue the manufacturers and distributors in the opioid crisis that we are in right now.”

The vote also granted permission to “go forward with Lockridge, Grindal, Nauen attorneys at law “and those associated with them for this litigation as our council” and to allow County Coordinator Craig Oscarson or herself  to enter into a retainer agreement,” Nelsen added.

According to Associated Press reports, the Wisconsin counties allege in their lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday that county health and law enforcement services “have been strained to the breaking point” by the opioid overdose crisis.

Gabrielson, who was absent from the vote because of another governmental commitment, said before he left that he agreed with the action. Later, he told the Daily Herald that the crisis is intensifying.

“We’ve known it’s been getting worse and worse and worse, and we have to try to do something,” he said, adding the growing financial burden “ends up coming to public health and human services.”

Nelsen had traveled to the Twin Cities to a meeting about a consortium being developed on this issue, he said.

“The state’s got to get its teeth into this,” he said. “They can’t just let this trickle down to the counties, which is exactly what they like to let happen.”

Nelsen declined to offer more details about the pending litigation until after more discussion with other parties.