§ 17-1714 Establishment and maintenance of hospitals. 1. For the purpose of enabling such villages to procure federal aid under the provisions of the national industrial recovery act in the establishment of hospitals, the board of trustees of any village which has been or may hereafter be incorporated or which has annexed territory to embrace the entire territory of a town, and which is adjacent to a city or town in which a hospital is maintained by a duly incorporated membership corporation, may acquire by gift or purchase title to lands in such city or town in trust for hospital purposes. If such land is to be acquired by gift, the acquisition shall be subject to a permissive referendum or if such land is to be acquired by purchase, the acquisition shall be subject to a permissive referendum if it is to be paid from taxes levied for the fiscal year in which such expenditure is made. The board may construct and maintain on such land suitable buildings and equip the same for hospital purposes and, from time to time, enter into one or more agreements with such membership hospital corporation for the control and operation thereof, and such board of trustees may accept on such terms as the president of the United States shall prescribe, any grants made by him pursuant to the provisions of the said national industrial recovery act in aid of the establishment of the said hospital.

2. There shall be levied and assessed annually upon the taxable property in the said village in the manner prescribed by law a sum sufficient to defray the cost of the operation and maintenance of the said hospital in each year, as estimated by the board of trustees of such village.

3. Hospital corporations duly incorporated under the provisions of the membership corporation law are hereby empowered to dedicate, grant and release to any such village lands for said purposes, upon terms and conditions to be approved by its board of governors, and to enter into agreements with the board of trustees of any such village for the control, operation and maintenance of any hospital or hospitals to be constructed as hereinbefore provided.