Colorado § 25-3-302 - Board of trustees.

§ 25-3-302. Board of trustees.

(1) If a board of county commissioners decides to create a public hospital board of trustees, levy an annual tax, and appropriate funds to purchase, erect, and maintain or turn over to the public hospital board of trustees control of a county hospital, the board of county commissioners shall proceed at once to appoint to the public hospital board of trustees, for designated terms, seven trustees chosen from the citizens at large with reference to their fitness for office. All of the trustees must be residents of the county. Nothing in this article 3 requires a licensed physician to be appointed to a public hospital board of trustees; however, if a licensed physician is appointed to a public hospital board of trustees, membership on that board is limited to one licensed physician at any given time. The seven appointees constitute the public hospital board of trustees for the public hospital. The public hospital board of trustees is a body corporate under the name "Board of Trustees for ............... Hospital", the name of the hospital being inserted in the blank.

(2) One of the trustees, so designated in such original appointment, shall hold office until the second Tuesday of January following his appointment, one until the second Tuesday of the second January following his appointment, two until the second Tuesday of the third January following their appointment, one until the second Tuesday of the fourth January following his appointment, and two until the second Tuesday of the fifth January from their appointment. Thereafter, the term of office of each appointee shall be five years from the end of the preceding term. At the expiration of the term of each of said trustees, the office shall be filled by appointment of the board of county commissioners.

(3) (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3)(b) of this section, in counties with a population of less than three thousand, the board of public hospital trustees shall consist of five citizens at large that have the same requirements with reference to their fitness for such office as all other counties. One of the trustees, so designated in such original appointment, shall hold office until the second Tuesday of January following their appointment, one until the second Tuesday of the second January following their appointment, one until the second Tuesday of the third January following their appointment, one until the second Tuesday of the fourth January following their appointment, and one until the second Tuesday of the fifth January following their appointment. The term of office and the method of filling vacancies shall be the same as for all other counties.

(b) The board of county commissioners of a county with a population of less than three thousand that creates a public hospital board of trustees may determine, by a resolution of the board of county commissioners, that the public hospital board of trustees shall consist of seven, rather than five, citizens at large that have the same requirements with reference to their fitness for such office as all other counties. For a public hospital board of trustees that is created after August 7, 2023, and that consists of seven members pursuant to this subsection (3)(b), the trustees shall hold office as is specified in subsection (2) of this section. For a public hospital board of trustees that is in existence when the board of county commissioners determines that the public hospital board of trustees will consist of seven members, one of the additional trustees shall hold office until the second Tuesday of the third January following their appointment, and the other additional trustee shall hold office until the second Tuesday of the fifth January from their appointment. The term of office and the method of filling vacancies shall be the same as for all other counties.

Source: L. 43: p. 276, § 2. L. 47: p. 503, § 1. CSA: C. 78, § 151(2). L. 53: p. 343, § 2. CRS 53: § 66-7-2. C.R.S. 1963: § 66-7-2. L. 84: (1) amended, p. 752, § 1, effective March 5. L. 2019: (1) amended, (HB 19-1065), ch. 90, p. 334, § 1, effective August 2. L. 2023: (3) amended, (SB 23-068), ch. 54, p. 194, § 2, effective August 7. L. 2025: (1) amended, (HB 25-1085), ch. 78, p. 329, § 1, effective August 6.

Cross references: For the short title ("Colorado Frontier Hospitals Act of 2023") in SB 23-068, see section 1 of chapter 54, Session Laws of Colorado 2023.