Trying to fix the Health Department contracts made it worse | Eastern North Carolina Now

    The recent rediscovery that the Board of Health and County Commissioners are allowing the Director to enter into contracts without review and approval by the Board is becoming more and more contorted as both the Board of County Commissioners and the Board Health try to make a quick fix. The issue was presented to the County Commissioners for the second time at he March 12 meeting. I say the issue because there still was no copy of the contract and no explanation of what the contract was for. This time the contract was represented as being with the State Department of Health. I have obtained a copy of the purported contract and it is with Access East, Inc.

    In the face of my challenge that the contract was not with the State and no one in the room having ever read the proposed contract, and no one in the room could explain what the contract was about, the Gang of Five voted to enter into the contract. Sounds like Washington DC and not Washington, NC.

    Lately the Gang of Five switch votes so that the votes are 4 to 3 on some things. It is still the Gang of Five. It is easy to see what is going on.

    I am greatly concerned when elected officials vote for things they cannot explain, contracts they have not read, and mis-represent the parties to a contract. We are using money and facilities paid for by Beaufort County taxpayers. The public deserves better treatment.
Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson speaks to his constituents at the most recent Candidates Forum at the Beaufort County Community College: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage

    One argument is that the general statutes say the Health Director can sign contracts. But I would contend that the intent of that provision is to "execute" an approved contract. The next sentence in the law says the Health Director cannot sign a contract that is contrary to the wishes of the Board of County Commissioners. So, if County Commissioners have not read the contract, have not had it explained to them, and do not know who the contract is with, how can they possibly vote to approve it?

    An even bigger problem is the Health Director signed the contract on September 1, 2011 without the approval of either the Board of Health or the County Commissioners.

    One solution to this situation is for the Chairman of the Board of Health to make presentations to the Board of County Commissioners accompanied by the Director of the Board of Health. This will require both the Chairman and the Board of Health to know and understand what is going on within the Health Department. That goes a long way toward solving our biggest problem with County Government and that is lack of oversight. It is just common sense that the contract is not legal until both boards have approved. I, as a Commissioner wonder how many contracts are out there that we do not know about that will someday haunt our pocket books.

    Another management tool that will help with oversight by the County Commissioners is to have a policy book and setting a policy that no contracts by anyone will be signed before approval of appropriate boards, with review by the County Attorney. A policy book is essential to insure that all departments follow standard procedures and don't operate in contradiction to the position of the governing body. That's just sound management.

    Allowing individuals in government to set policy by entering into contracts and then obtaining a rubber stamp approval from elected officials robs the public of the roots of our system of a democratic-republican form of government. Democracy is insulted because no one voted for the decision maker. The republican principles are slapped aside because no elected official got a chance to set policy, provide over sight or represent the citizens interests.

    This Department of Health Director took it upon herself to set policy and demand the public pay the expense. The Beaufort County Department of Health is becoming another welfare hub. They are administering free medical services funded from Medicaid programs, the profits from Medicaid programs and Beaufort County tax money. A lot of these services go to illegal immigrants and compete with other health care providers. Without elected officials who defend our system of government, hired public officials will usurp power and make decisions without accountability to the people. We have a lot of bad regulations today because elected officials empowered bureaucrats to make rules.

    I have been a commissioner since 1996. This is the second time I have discovered the illegal handling of contracts by the Health Department. We need to establish a systematic accountability system in Beaufort County government and that accountability should go to the people. The people deserve it. They should demand it.
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