TEXAS CITY — The United Board of Health voted Thursday morning to move forward with a restructuring plan previously approved by the Galveston County Commissioners Court.

Earlier this month, Commissioners Court unanimously approved an agreement that would place several administrative functions of the Galveston County Health District under county management. County officials have said the goal is to reduce annual costs without cutting health services.

The proposed changes would affect several areas of the Health District’s operations. Much of the discussion surrounding the transition has focused on employee salaries and benefits, including how accrued sick leave and other benefits could be affected.

The Commissioners Court vote alone did not fully implement the changes. The United Board of Health also had to approve the agreement before the restructuring could move forward.

Discussion before Thursday’s vote was brief, with board members emphasizing that residents should not see a reduction in services.

“Actually no, if anybody notices anything, it’ll be the staff and who they report to,” United Board of Health Chairman Tyler Drummond said.

According to Drummond, the goal of the restructuring is to eliminate unnecessary spending and duplication, including having separate employees performing similar administrative roles for the county and Health District.

Drummond said he does not anticipate significant pushback from staff and explained that employees may notice changes in internal processes and reporting structures.

“What we’re doing is consolidating instead of having a separate set of processes and procedures at the district. We’re kind of tucking it under the county system of processes,” Drummond said.

The board unanimously approved the agreement in a 3-0 vote. Some changes have already begun, with additional administrative transitions expected as the restructuring moves forward.