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Jeff Riviera said it felt like he had been slapped in the face when he was terminated from his position at Hidalgo County Precinct 1. 

"The bottom line is we all worked very very hard," Riviera said.

Despite that hard work, Riviera along with 19 of his colleagues were let go as part of a Reduction In Force. He said the months following the termination were grueling. 

"When all these people were terminated there bills were still collected, their mortgages....it really harmed these people," Riviera said.

A lawsuit was filed against Hidalgo County and months later it was settled. All 20 workers got their job back as part of the settlement.  

Precinct 1 Commissioner Joel Quintanilla, who was not in office when the terminations occurred, said the county paid almost $1 million dollars to settle the suit.

"The attorney representing the insurance company representing the county said we have to settle this, Quintanilla said.

Quintanilla said with this ordeal behind them---it is time the precinct move forward.