The board that has overseen the hospital in Washington for decades is officially in the process of being disbanded.

Commissioners voted earlier this month to disband the Beaufort Regional Health System Authority board, though the process has been in motion since last summer. The board was charged with overseeing a $6.4 million fund put in place when Vidant Health, then University Health Systems, took over the lease on the old Beaufort County Hospital in 2011; the money intended to cover any remaining liabilities determined after the transition.

The fund now stands at $4.5 million.

Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson was the one vote against the dissolution, as he has maintained the money and the board’s oversight of it is a safety net if Vidant pulls out of its lease with little notice. He referred to the vote to dissolve the board as a “sad day for Beaufort County.”

Other commissioners disagree with Richardson’s view that Vidant is likely to pull out of Beaufort County.

“Vidant has put $47 million into this hospital, so I don’t think they have any plans to close it unless the world blows up,” said Commissioner Ron Buzzeo. Buzzeo added that one of the requirements of Vidant’s lease of the hospital was the construction of a new emergency department, the total cost of which was $17 million, and Vidant has invested an additional $30 million in the county.

Last year, initial talks to dissolve the board revolved around reserving any funds left over from outstanding claims solely for the support of medical-related county expenditures, such as the expansion of EMS. The board later decided to loan the county $3 million of the $4.5 million remaining in order to pay for county-owned infrastructure repairs and construction, rather than take out a $3 million loan for the needed work — a loan that was approved in the 2017-2018 budget.

“By borrowing from county with no interest, the county saves $300,000 and still has $1 million,” Buzzeo said.

The dissolution of the hospital board requires approval by the North Carolina Secretary of State.