14-604.   Board of trustees; membership; term; election.A hospital having been established, the governing body shall proceed atonce to appoint three trustees, chosen from the citizens of the citywith reference to their fitness for such office, who shall constitute aboard of trustees for said hospital. The said trustees shall hold theiroffices until the next following city election, when three trusteesshall be elected and hold their offices, one for one year, one for twoyears and one for three years. At each subsequent city election, thetrustee whose term is about to expire shall be filled by the nominationand election of hospital trustee in the same manner as other officersare elected, none of whom shall be physicians. In any city in which aregular city election as provided by law may be held only once every twoyears, then there shall be elected one trustee for a two-year term ofoffice and one trustee for a four-year term of office or until theirsuccessors shall have been respectively elected and qualified, and theperson receiving the greater number of votes shall be deemed elected tothe four-year term of office. Any trustee now holding office whose termwill expire in an even-numbered year shall hold over and continue inoffice until a successor shall be duly elected and qualified as providedherein.

      Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions to the contrary, from andafter the effective date of this act the governing body by resolutionmay increase the number of trustees to serve on the board to five (5) orseven (7) members. In the event the governing body does not increase byresolution the number of members to serve on the board of trustees, saidboard of trustees shall consist of three (3) members. Whenever thenumber of members of an existing board of trustees is increased byresolution of the governing body, said governing body shall provide byresolution for the initial appointment or election of the new members.The governing body shall also provide by resolution for the expirationof the terms of the members initially appointed or elected to newpositions on the board of trustees.

      History:   L. 1917, ch. 104, § 3; R.S. 1923, § 14-604; L. 1949,ch. 167, § 1; L. 1978, ch. 63, § 3; July 1.