It was a jarring juxtaposition.

Yolo County supervisors voted with reluctance Tuesday to eliminate health care benefits for hundreds of undocumented workers, following the lead of Sacramento County and saving more than $1 million in the midst of an unprecedented budget crisis.

Supervisor Helen Thomson, a nurse and health care advocate, called it the "worst decision I've ever had to make." The county took pride in providing all workers with health care, no matter what their status, supervisors said.

Yet in the same meeting, Thomson and other board members voted to move forward with plans to put a new roof on the county administration building, where the supervisors meet.

The estimated price tag is up to $400,000.

The votes underscore contradictions in government financing during dire times: Jobs and services are slashed, while construction work with dedicated funding sources goes forward.

Such moves leave voters confused and frustrated.

At Tuesday's meeting, Supervisor Jim Provenza of Davis made an impassioned plea for supervisors to vote down the health care cuts aimed at the undocumented workers.

Many are farmworkers, a key part of the labor force in Yolo County, he said.

"Let's be honest," Provenza said. "They're here because they're working in agriculture – our No. 1 industry."

He said workers would postpone regular care at community clinics and wind up in hospital emergency rooms. Epidemics, such as the swine flu, could go undetected, he said.

"We risk a calamity," Provenza said. "These are cuts that could result in death."

He urged his colleagues to prioritize spending and find savings elsewhere in the county spending plan.

Provenza and Supervisor Duane Chamberlain, a rancher who represents a large rural area, voted against the cuts.

Others said they saw no choice.

Thomson of Davis and Supervisor Mike McGowan of West Sacramento had tried without success to persuade area hospitals to help close the health care budget gap of $1.5 million.

Joined by Supervisor Matt Rexroad of Woodland, they said the cuts, no matter how painful, had to be made.

"We just don't have the money," McGowan,

Robin Affrime, head of CommuniCare Health Centers, which provide treatment to low-income residents of Woodland, Davis and West Sacramento, said the moves would end up shifting costs to health care providers.

Undocumented workers could still seek treatment at the clinics and pay cash on a sliding scale based on income. But many would be reluctant to seek help, fearing immigration checks, or could not afford expensive treatment for diseases such as diabetes and cancer, she said.

Chamberlain likened the move to postponing vaccinations at the risk of much costlier diseases.

He cast the only vote against the roof replacement, saying it was ill-timed and unnecessary.

"They're spending large amounts of money when we're cutting back on health care and everything else," he said. "I just couldn't believe they'd do that."

The county has said 111 workers could be laid off to help close a $24 million budget gap for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Ray Groom, the county's director of general services, said the tile roof on the sprawling building was only about halfway through its projected life span.

But window washers regularly break tiles, causing leaks, and bats had gotten into the building through gaps.

The special fees and property-tax revenue allocated for the roof replacement can be used only for capital improvements such as building repairs, he said. And the poor economy means that contractors hungry for work might do the job for around $300,000.

Supervisor Matt Rexroad said the money would just sit there if it wasn't used for the roof or other building projects. It could never be used for health care, he said.

"It's really a question of: 'Can you move money into a different category?' " he said. "I realize why it might seem crazy."

Call The Bee's Hudson Sangree, (916) 321-1191.