§ 131E-41. Methods of creation of a hospital district.
§ 131E‑41. Methodsof creation of a hospital district.
(a) The voters of an area may petition their county board ofcommissioners and the North Carolina Medical Care Commission for the creationof a hospital district. All of the area proposed to be included within ahospital district must be located within one county. The petition shall besigned by at least 500 voters of the area described in the petition. However,if the area has less than 1,100 voters, then the minimum number of petitionersshall be 250 voters. The petition shall set forth:
(1) A description of the area to be included within the proposedhospital district;
(2) The names of all municipalities located in whole or in partin the proposed hospital district;
(3) The names of all publicly owned hospitals in the proposedhospital district;
(4) The purpose or purposes sought to be accomplished by thecreation of the hospital district; and
(5) The proposed name of the hospital district.
Thepetition shall be delivered to the county board of commissioners of the countyin which the proposed hospital district would be located. If the county boardof commissioners approves the creation of the hospital district, they shallhave the petition delivered to the North Carolina Medical Care Commission for reviewunder G.S. 131E‑42.
(b) In the alternative, the county board of commissioners, inits discretion, may create a hospital district by resolution. This authorityexists only when one hospital district already exists in the county, or when aspecial tax levy for hospital purposes has been authorized or is now authorizedwith respect to a portion of the county. This power is limited to establishinga hospital district in the area lying outside the existing hospital district oroutside the portion of the county in which a hospital tax levy has been or isnow authorized. When a county board of commissioners exercises its power underthis subsection, all other provisions of this Part shall be applicable, exceptas modified by this subsection. (1949, c. 766, s. 5; 1953, c. 1045, s. 1; 1959, cc. 877, 1074; 1971, c.780, s. 37.4; 1973, c. 476, s. 152; c. 494, s. 45; c. 1090, s. 1; 1983, c. 775,s. 1.)