HARLINGEN -- Before handing over a hefty reimbursement check to Hidalgo County, the Rio Grande Valley Health Services District wants to know if that money was well spent.

District board members said Thursday that they might hire an independent consulting firm to conduct an audit of the county's indigent health care program, including analysis of its administrative expenses. The audit would examine the efficiency of Hidalgo County's system and determine if the county could have cut some of its costs, board member Dr. Linda Villarreal said.

"It's not to be critical (of the county) -- we just want to utilize the funds properly," Villarreal said.

In recent months, Hidalgo County has called for the district to reimburse the county's indigent health care program for $800,000 spent in administrative costs this fiscal year.

The district has contracted with Cameron and Hidalgo counties to care for the region's impoverished patients until its two planned clinics become operational. Because of this agreement, the district should pay for some of Hidalgo County's expenses, commissioners have argued.

But Villarreal said the board needs to know how the county spent that $800,000.

"It's how we can compromise with them," she said. After the audit, "we could say that maybe you could have spent $500,000 (for example) ... so that's what we'll offer."

Board member Rev. Gerry Frank said the audit could put Hidalgo County commissioners in a defensive position, rather than encouraging a compromise.

"We're getting into a sensitive area, stepping into others' domains," Frank said.

For months, Hidalgo County and the district have argued over the terms of their contract. Even though county commissioners voted to approve a two-year contract with the district, Hidalgo County Judge Ramon Garcia later signed a one-year contract that was inadvertently forwarded to him, Garcia said in a July 31 memo to the district's board.

Some commissioners also questioned why they were required to forward the county's tobacco settlement funds to the district and not receive any reimbursement for indigent health care.

State law requires that counties that have contracts with a health services district must supply tobacco settlement funds for the district's operation. County commissioners, however, have questioned why that money is needed when the clinics haven't been built yet.

Meanwhile, the county's indigent program is a "bare-bones operation," said Rudy de la Vina, director of the program.

To date this fiscal year, Hidalgo County has spent about $10 million on caring for the indigent, de la Vina said.

The county receives matching state funds to a point, but has had to cut some services as their funds have dwindled, he said.

"There's a great need out there too ... it's not unusual for us to receive 1,000 bills a day," de la Vina said.

The county and district also are in a stalemate over land acquisition.

Hidalgo County's attorney has said the county could not legally donate land for one of the clinics, holding up construction plans.

The board said it would like to consider other sites, but a letter asking the county for feedback has remained unanswered, board members said.

Until the land issue is resolved, the Legislative Budget Board has opted to hold off approving the district's preliminary construction plans for its two clinics.

Original plans projected the clinics would be completed in 2007, but the district is still in the early phases of the process.

The district was first created in 2002, but has yet to begin construction on any facilities.