A resolution extending the contract between the county and Jefferson Regional Hospital until 2099 was approved by the Quorum Court in a special called meeting Tuesday evening after being tabled during the regular meeting of the county’s legislative body Monday.
Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll moved to table the ordinance, citing concerns over the agreement and complaining that some members of the Jefferson Regional Hospital Board of Governors, who are appointed by the County Judge, are also members of the board of the hospital.
Carroll expressed concerns about the resolution again on Tuesday, casting a vote against the resolution in the group chat room via Zoom, where the meeting was held due to County Judge Gerald Robinson’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
Carroll said he believed the resolution needed to go through committee before being presented to the Quorum Court, saying that was his reason for a vote against the resolution.
During a presentation to the hospital board of governors last week, hospital officials explained that they were entering into a joint venture to build and operate a specialty hospital for rehabilitation and behavioral health services in White Hall potential developers have asked for at least a 75-year lease on the property to make the development viable. The lease extension, what was passed by the Quorum Court, will now expire Dec. 31, 2099.
