CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Nueces County Commissioners Court discussed the topic of unfreezing 16 public health technician positions on Wednesday.
Commissioners are having to make difficult decisions in the midst of confusion after the city announced they will be parting ways with what currently is the City County Health District.
"Right now everyday is business as usual, particularly when it comes to DSHS's grants, we have to in other words they don't want us to stop, we have to continue to move forward," Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said.
Commissioners having to decide to extend a state grant given to the county to continue paying employees who are already working for the health district.
“The commissioners court already approved this grant. The reason we're coming back is because the positions were not placed in that initial filing of the grant," Luis Wilmont, Assistant Director of Public Health said.
“If we do not approve this for these folks the work stops for them. Contact tracing, epidemiology and disease surveillance they're conducting right now stops when the expiration stops."
With the City County Health District splitting up, the future of these two health entities has some commissioners feeling uneasy.
"Depending on what happens with this health district stuff if we somehow have to unwind all this and that's what I'm confused about," Commissioner Brent Chesney said.
However, other commissioners just wanted a decision to be finalized.
"In the end I don't care where this all breaks up in the dividing line of which jobs go where we owe it to ourselves and the people to approve it today I don't care if it goes to the city then so be it," Commissioner John Marez said.
As commissioner court continued, confusion remained.
“We have a laundry list of questions caused by the city's move commissioner this is a big one the grant was awarded to the entity of the health department the paperwork of the item says that however there is some assignment language where I have asked, but maybe Annette can answer for us," Nueces County Attorney Jenny P. Dorsey said.
Health Director Annette Rodriguez said she reached out to the Department of Health Services to help with the confusion, and what should be decided.
“For this particular grant I asked the state associate commissioner of health David Gruber, basically what he said was we are an established city council health district. As such we are not stepping of we are not withdrawing from the health district. The county wants to continue to be an established health district as such we continue business as usual. Our grants continue to move forward," Rodriguez said.
In the end commissioners approved securing those employees positions, but it looks like this is just one bump along the road in a long journey ahead.