66.0927 County-city hospitals; village and town powers.

(1) Definitions. In this section:

(a) “Board" means the joint county-city hospital board established under this section.

(am) “Hospital" means a general county-city hospital.

(b) “Ordinance" means an ordinance adopted by the governing body of a city or county and concurred in by the other governing body or bodies.

(2) County-city hospitals. A county and city or cities partly or wholly within the county may by ordinance jointly construct or otherwise acquire, equip, furnish, operate and maintain a hospital. The hospital is subject to ch. 150.

(3) Financing. The governing bodies of the respective county and city or cities may borrow money, appropriate funds, and levy taxes needed to carry out the purposes of this section. Funds to be used for the purposes specified in this section may be provided by the respective county, city or cities by general obligation bonds issued under ch. 67 or by revenue bonds issued under s. 66.0913. Bonds issued under this section shall be executed on behalf of the county by the county board chairperson and the county clerk and on behalf of a city by its mayor or other chief executive officer and by the city clerk.

(4) Cost sharing. The ordinance shall provide for a sharing of all of the cost of construction or other acquisition, equipment, furnishing, operation and maintenance of a hospital on an agreed percentage basis.

(5) Hospital board. The ordinance shall provide for the establishment of a joint county-city hospital board to be composed as follows: 2 to be appointed by the county board chairperson and confirmed by the county board, one for a one-year and one for a 2-year term; 2 by the mayor or other chief executive officer and confirmed by the city council, one for a one-year and one for a 2-year term; and one jointly by the county board chairperson and the mayor or other chief executive officer of the city or cities, for a term of 3 years, confirmed by the county board and the city council or councils. Their respective successors shall be appointed and confirmed in like manner for terms of 3 years. All appointees shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualified. Terms shall begin as specified in the ordinance. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term in the manner in which the original appointment was made.

(7) Organization of boards; officers; compensation; oaths; bonds.

(a) When all members have qualified the board shall meet at the place designated in the ordinance and organize by electing from its membership a president, a vice president, a secretary and a treasurer, each to hold office for one year. The board may combine the offices of secretary and treasurer. Members shall receive compensation as provided in the ordinance and shall be reimbursed their actual and necessary expenses. With the approval of the board, the treasurer may appoint an assistant treasurer, who need not be a member of the board, to perform services specified by the board.

(b) Members, and any assistant treasurer, shall qualify by taking the official oath, and the treasurer and any assistant treasurer shall furnish a bond in a sum specified by the board and in the form and conditioned as provided in s. 19.01 (2) and (3). The oaths and bonds shall be filed with the county clerk. The cost of the bond shall be paid by the board.

(8) Powers of board. The board may, subject to provisions of the ordinance:

(a) Contract for the construction or other acquisition, equipment or furnishing of a hospital.

(b) Contract for the construction or other acquisition of additions or improvements to, or alterations in, a hospital and the equipment or furnishing of an addition.

(c) Employ a manager of a hospital and other necessary personnel and fix their compensation.

(d) Enact, amend and repeal rules and regulations for the admission to, and government of patients at, a hospital, for the regulation of the board's meetings and deliberations, and for the government, operation and maintenance of the hospital and the hospital employees.

(e) Contract for and purchase all fuel, food, equipment, furnishings and supplies reasonably necessary for the proper operation and maintenance of a hospital.

(f) Audit all accounts and claims against a hospital or against the board, and, if approved, pay the accounts and claims from the fund specified in sub. (10). All expenditures made pursuant to this section shall be within the limits of the ordinance.

(g) Sue and be sued, and to collect or compromise any obligations due to the hospital. All money received shall be paid into the joint hospital fund.

(h) Make studies and recommendations to the county board and city council or city councils relating to the operation of a hospital as the board considers advisable or the governing bodies request.

(i) Employ counsel on either a temporary or permanent basis.

(9) Budget. The board shall annually, before the time of the preparation of either the county or city budget under s. 65.90, prepare a budget of its anticipated receipts and expenditures for the ensuing fiscal year and determine the proportionate cost to the county and the participating city or cities under the terms of the ordinance. A certified copy of the budget, which shall include a statement of the net amount required from the county and city or cities, shall be delivered to the clerks of the respective municipalities. The county board and the common council of the city or cities shall consider the budget, and determine the amount to be raised by the respective municipalities in the proportions determined by the ordinance. After this determination, the county and city or cities respectively shall levy a tax sufficient to produce the amount to be raised by the county and city or cities.

(10) Hospital fund. A joint county-city hospital fund shall be created and established in a public depository to be specified in the ordinance. The treasurer of the respective county and city or cities shall pay into the fund the amounts specified by the ordinance and resolutions of the respective municipalities when the amounts have been collected. All of the moneys which come into the fund are appropriated to the board for the execution of its functions as provided by the ordinance and the resolutions of the respective municipalities. The moneys in the fund shall be paid out by the treasurer of the hospital board only upon the approval or direction of the board.

(11) Correlation of laws.

(a) In any case where a bid is a prerequisite to contract in connection with a county or city hospital under s. 66.0901, it is also a prerequisite to a valid contract by the board. For this purpose, the board is a municipality and the contract a public contract under s. 66.0901.

(b) All statutory requirements, not inconsistent with the provision of this section, applicable to general county or city hospitals apply to hospitals referred to in this section.

(12) Reports. The board shall report its activities to the county board and the city council or councils annually, or oftener as either of the municipalities requires.

(14) Powers of villages. Villages have all of the powers granted to cities under subs. (1) to (12) and whenever any village exercises these powers the word “city" wherever it appears in subs. (1) to (12) means “village" unless the context otherwise requires. Any village participating in the construction or other acquisition of a hospital or in its operation, pursuant to this section, may enter into lease agreements leasing the hospital and its equipment and furnishings to a nonprofit corporation.

(15) Powers of towns. Towns have all of the powers granted to cities under subs. (1) to (12) and whenever any town exercises these powers the word “city" wherever it appears in subs. (1) to (12) means “town" unless the context otherwise requires. Any town participating in the construction or other acquisition of a hospital or in its operation, under this section, may enter into lease agreements leasing the hospital and its equipment and furnishings to a nonprofit corporation.

History: 1977 c. 29; 1983 a. 189; 1983 a. 192 s. 303 (1); 1993 a. 246; 1999 a. 150 ss. 262, 480 to 483; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0927.