The Hays County Commissioners Court was scheduled to meet on Monday, Aug. 17, to discuss county healthcare and the possibility of adding a November ballot item allowing residents to vote on establishing a health district.
The discussion and consideration could not take place because three members of the court were not in attendance. Without a quorum, the court could not evaluate the topic.
The overview
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra called the special commissioners court meeting. His proposed health district, if added to the ballot and approved by voters, would have provided a “minimum basic level healthcare” for all county residents, according to a social media post.
Becerra called on community members to voice their views on the proposed health district and whether they supported its placement on the November ballot.
“Access to healthcare is dwindling, and yet it is so important,” Becerra said in the post. “There are several different ways we can go about bringing a health district to life.”
According to another social media post made by Becerra, establishing a health district in Hays County would strengthen healthcare in the community in a multitude of ways, including:
- Expanding access to healthcare
- Saving taxpayer dollars
- Supporting first responders and hospitals
- Protecting the growing community
- Building a healthier future for the county
“Finding a primary care doctor or medical specialist has become more difficult for many families,” Becerra said in the post. “At the same time, many healthcare providers are facing increasing challenges because they serve a growing number of uninsured and underinsured patients. That's why we're working on the formation of Hays Health.”
What happened
On Aug. 17, Becerra and Precinct 3 Commissioner Morgan Hammer were the only two in attendance at the special meeting. Commissioners Debbie Ingalsbe, Michelle Cohen and Walt Smith were absent.
To conduct county business, the court must have at least three commissioners in attendance to establish a quorum. The meeting could not be held as it did not meet the necessary threshold, according to the Hays County Rules of Procedure, Conduct and Decorum.
“While Hays County voters will unfortunately not have the opportunity to vote on this measure in November, I want to assure you that the fight for more affordable and effective healthcare is not over,” Becerra said in a statement.
In a statement made on social media, Ingalsbe said her absence was due to the meeting being called on short notice and prior commitments she had made for the day preventing her from attending.
She also raised concerns that the court had not had the opportunity to engage with residents about the potential creation of a health district through open houses, town halls, public presentations, or other community engagement events.
“This is a significant policy decision that could have a long-term impact on our community, yet the Court has not had the opportunity to engage in a thorough, formal discussion on the matter,” Ingalsbe said in the statement. “Affordable and accessible healthcare has always been a priority for me, and I fully support exploring solutions that improve healthcare access for our residents.”
In his post, Becerra said the special meeting was called because the court’s priority for the Tuesday, Aug. 18 regularly scheduled meeting was budgetary discussions and wanted to give the matter a more focused platform.
Cohen made a social media post discussing the health district discussion, ways in which the county has worked to improve healthcare and how she felt about the potential ballot item.
“The idea of a hospital district deserves careful research and a thoughtful plan before asking taxpayers to take on a new system,” Cohen said in her post. “Our community’s health is not one-sided, and neither should our solutions be. This is about more than how we pay for healthcare; it’s about how we build a healthier community for everyone.”
Cohen and Smith have not released statements explaining their absence from the special meeting.
