Colorado Code § 25-3-304

Trustees - powers and duties
Open in Lexace · Ask the AI about this section
(1) (a) A public hospital board of trustees
shall make and adopt such bylaws, rules, and regulations for its own guidance and for the
government of the hospital as it deems expedient for the economic and equitable conduct
thereof, not inconsistent with state law or the ordinances of the city or town in which the public
hospital is located.
(b) The public hospital board of trustees has exclusive control of:
(I) The use and expenditure of all money collected to the credit of the hospital, including
the right to invest or have invested money held by the hospital or in the office of the county
treasurer and to receive the interest and income therefrom;
(II) The purchase of sites;
(III) The purchase, construction, or enlargement of any hospital building; and
(IV) The supervision, care, and custody of any grounds, rooms, or buildings that it
purchases, constructs, or leases.
(c) Except as described in subsection (1)(d) of this section, a public hospital board of
trustees may acquire by lease real and personal property subject to the approval of the board of
county commissioners. All tax money received for hospital purposes must be paid out of the
county treasury only upon warrants drawn by the county commissioners upon sworn vouchers
approved by the public hospital board of trustees. All other money received for the hospital must
be deposited in the treasury of the hospital and paid out only upon order of the public hospital
board of trustees. If a public hospital board of trustees acquires and holds hospital property and
facilities, including real and personal property, by conveyance on transfer of title, then title to all
lands must be in either the name of the county or the public hospital's corporate name for the
hospital's use and benefit. County hospitals situated in home rule counties have the additional
borrowing authority granted by section 30-35-201 (23)(b).
(d) A public hospital board of trustees that has elected to designate its public hospital as
an enterprise for purposes of section 20 of article X of the state constitution, as described in
subsection (3) of this section, is not required to obtain the approval of the board of county
commissioners before acquiring real or personal property by lease.
(2) (a) The public hospital board of trustees has the power to hire, retain, and remove
agents and employees, including administrative, nursing, and professional personnel, engineers,
architects, and attorneys, and to fix their compensation; has the power to borrow money and
incur indebtedness, and to issue bonds and other evidence of such indebtedness; except that no
indebtedness shall be created, except as otherwise provided by statute, in excess of the revenue
that may reasonably be expected to be available to the hospital for repayment thereof in the
fiscal year in which such indebtedness is to be created, and except that no such indebtedness
shall be incurred without the approval of the board of county commissioners if the repayment of
such indebtedness is dependent on tax money received for hospital purposes from the board of
county commissioners; and shall in general carry out the spirit and intent of this part 3 in
establishing and maintaining a county public hospital. Any indebtedness incurred by a public
hospital board of trustees is an obligation of the public hospital board of trustees and not an
obligation of the board of county commissioners that approved the indebtedness.
(b) A board of public hospital trustees must hold meetings at least once each month and
must keep a complete record of all its proceedings. Four members of the board constitutes a
quorum for the transaction of business. One of the trustees must visit and examine said hospital
at least twice each month, and the public hospital board, during the first week in each January
and July, must file with the board of county commissioners a report of their proceedings with
reference to such hospital and a statement of all receipts and expenditures during the half year.
On or before each October first, the board must certify to the board of county commissioners the
amount necessary to maintain and improve said hospital for the ensuing year. No trustee shall
have a personal pecuniary interest, either directly or indirectly, in the purchase of any supplies
for said hospital, unless the same are purchased by competitive bidding.
(c) A public hospital board of trustees may offer to the general public products and
services of any health-care organization, association, partnership, or corporation to the extent
that the products and services are consistent with the powers and duties of a county public
hospital pursuant to this part 3.
(3) (a) The board of public hospital trustees may, in accordance with the provisions of
paragraph (b) of this subsection (3), designate the hospital as an enterprise for purposes of
section 20 of article X of the state constitution so long as said board of trustees retains authority
to issue revenue bonds and the hospital receives less than ten percent of its total annual revenues
in grants. So long as the hospital is designated as an enterprise pursuant to the provisions of this
subsection (3), the hospital shall not be subject to any of the provisions of section 20 of article X
of the state constitution.
(b) (I) The board of public hospital trustees may, by resolution, designate the hospital as
an enterprise as long as the hospital meets the requirements for an enterprise as stated in
paragraph (a) of this subsection (3). Such designation shall be effective beginning with the
budget year immediately following the budget year in which such resolution is adopted. Such
resolution shall be adopted no sooner than ninety days and no later than thirty days prior to the
commencement of the budget year in which such designation becomes effective.
(II) The board of public hospital trustees may, by resolution, revoke the designation of
the hospital as an enterprise. Such revocation shall be effective beginning with the budget year
immediately following the budget year in which such resolution is adopted. Such resolution shall
be adopted no sooner than ninety days and no later than thirty days prior to the commencement
of the budget year in which such revocation becomes effective.
(III) Upon adoption of any resolution pursuant to the provisions of subparagraph (I) or
(II) of this paragraph (b), the board of public hospital trustees shall transmit a copy of the
resolution to the division of local government in the department of local affairs and the
appropriate board or boards of county commissioners.
(IV) The termination or revocation of the designation of the hospital as an enterprise
shall not affect in any manner the validity of any revenue bonds issued by the board of public
hospital trustees of such hospital pursuant to subsection (4) of this section.
(c) (I) For purposes of this subsection (3), "grant" means any direct cash subsidy or other
direct contribution of money from the state or any local government in Colorado which is not
required to be repaid.
(II) "Grant" does not include:
(A) Any indirect benefit conferred upon a hospital from the state or any local
government in Colorado;
(B) Any revenues resulting from rates, fees, assessments, or other charges imposed by a
hospital for the provision of goods or services by such hospital;
(C) Any federal funds, regardless of whether such federal funds pass through the state or
any local government in Colorado prior to receipt by a hospital.
(4) (a) Subject to the limitations set forth in paragraph (b) of this subsection (4), the
board of public hospital trustees shall have the power to issue revenue bonds, secured by any
revenues of the hospital other than property tax revenues. Notwithstanding subsection (2) of this
section to the contrary, such revenue bonds may provide for their repayment over a term greater
than one fiscal year. The board shall authorize the issuance of revenue bonds by resolution, duly
approved by no less than two-thirds of the entire membership of the board. All bonds shall be
signed by the president of the board of trustees, countersigned by the secretary of the board of
trustees, and shall be numbered and registered in a book kept by the secretary or the secretary-
treasurer, as applicable. Each bond shall state upon its face the amount for which such bond is
issued, to whom such bond is issued, and the date of its issuance.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph (b), the issuance of any revenue
bonds pursuant to the provisions of this subsection (4) shall not become effective for a period of
thirty days following the adoption of any resolution authorizing such issuance for the purpose of
allowing the board of county commissioners to review such pending bond issue. Such review
period shall commence upon the date of receipt by the board of county commissioners of written
notice from the board of public hospital trustees of such pending revenue bond issue. During
said thirty days, the board of county commissioners may file a written notice with the board of
trustees stating that the board of county commissioners has no objection to such pending bond
issue. Upon receipt of such notice of no objection, the issuance of such revenue bonds shall
become effective. If, within said thirty days, the board of county commissioners does not file
with the board of trustees either a written notice of no objection or a written objection, the
issuance of such revenue bonds shall become effective. If the board of county commissioners
files a written objection, the issuance of such revenue bonds shall be prohibited until such time
as the board of county commissioners gives written notice to the board of trustees of withdrawal
of the board's objection.

‹ Prev All Colorado sections Next ›


Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.