Staff Report
SAN MARCOS — A special-called meeting of the Hays County Commissioners Court to discuss a potential health district measure was adjourned without discussion, due to a lack of quorum, Monday, Aug. 17.
Last week, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra called a special meeting, set to take place at 2 p.m. Monday, which was the last day to order a general or special election on a measure, to deliberate adding a Hays County Hospital District measure to the ballot for November.
According to a press release from Becerra’s office, the judge and healthcare supporters “feverishly” worked to obtain the required number of signatures and petitions to add the initiative to the ballot. These numbers were verified Monday, which would have mandated that the proposed health district measure be placed on the ballot.
The meeting, however, could not move forward, as commissioners Michelle Cohen, Debbie Ingalsbe and Walt Smith were not in attendance, leaving the judge and commissioner Morgan Hammer without a quorum after a 30-minute wait.
The purpose of the meeting was not to create the hospital district, according to Becerra. It was to allow the citizens of Hays County the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they wanted more affordable and effective healthcare.
“In effect, their absence circumvented state law, which requires a duly validated petition to be placed on the ballot,” said Becerra. “… ultimately [robbing] the residents of Hays County of the opportunity to express their voice and decide for themselves the future of healthcare in our county.”
“This coordinated sabotage of the people’s voice is simply a dereliction of duty,” said Becerra.
In contrast to the judge’s statements, Ingalsbe claimed that the meeting was scheduled without regard for her availability.
“Out of respect for the residents I serve, I believe it is important to let my constituents know why I was not present at Monday’s special meeting of the commissioners court,” she said. “Unfortunately, neither I nor my office was notified in advance or asked about my availability before the meeting was scheduled. I had several commitments that had been on my calendar for weeks and felt it was important to honor those obligations and meet with the individuals who had already scheduled time with me.”
Additionally, the commissioner expressed disappointment in the special meeting being called on short notice and the health district considered without public outreach: “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. Equally important, we have not sought input from our residents through open houses, town halls, public presentations or other community engagement efforts. That lack of public involvement is concerning, particularly given that a hospital district would have the authority to levy a property tax of up to $0.75 per $100 of taxable value.”
“Affordable and accessible healthcare has always been a priority for me, and I fully support exploring solutions that improve healthcare access for our residents. I welcome a thoughtful and transparent conversation about how we can achieve that goal together while ensuring the public has a meaningful voice in the process,” Ingalsbe concluded.
As of the time of publication, Cohen and Smith had not responded to a request for comment.
