Douglas County commissioners unanimously voted on Wednesday to move forward with splitting from the Tri-County Health Department and forming its own agency.

A formal vote on the split is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon during a business meeting.

Wednesday’s vote comes two days after the Tri-County Health Department voted 5-3 to rescind each counties’ abilities to opt out of public health orders and mandated masks in schools and childcare facilities.

Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas said the ability to opt out was implemented in November in exchange for the county rescinding a letter expressing the county’s intent to leave the health department in July 2020. She called the latest mask mandate a breach of the earlier agreement, she said.

“There was something in (the agreement) for both of us and both of us gave up something,” Thomas told The Denver Gazette. “We lived up to our end of the bargain and I’m very disheartened that Tri-County did not.”

Douglas County has been a member of the Tri-County Health Department for 55 years and despite the split, officials from the health department said in a statement they will help make the transition as “smooth as possible.”

“We are saddened to hear of Douglas County’s desire to leave Tri-County Health Department after a long and rich history of providing public health services to the residents of Douglas County,” the statement read. “We are committed to keeping Douglas County safe and healthy and provide these services as longs necessary to make the transition as smooth as possible for the county’s residents and our staffs.”

Thomas said she hopes the 55-year partnership can continue as Douglas County will still rely on the Tri-County Health Department to provide services including restaurant inspections.

“The commissioners want to make a Douglas County Public Health Department that creates the governance and the policies, while Tri-County staff will continue to deliver the services,” Thomas said. 

If the resolution to form a local health department passes, the commissioners would have 90 days to appoint a board of health. The board would hire leaders for the new agency.

Thomas said there was no deadline for the potential board of health to choose an executive director, but doesn’t anticipate it will take very long.

“I would anticipate that this board is not going to be waiting 90 days,” Thomas said. “I think we are very motivated and we’ve already had staff working on setting up a public health department since July of 2020.”