(1) Whenever the board of county commissioners of any county in the state shall be presented with a petition signed by 5 percent of the resident freeholders of such county, asking that an annual tax may be levied for the establishment and maintenance of a public hospital at a place in the county named therein, and shall specify in said petition the maximum amount of money proposed to be expended in purchasing or building said hospital, such board of county commissioners shall submit the question to the qualified electors of the county who are freeholders at the next general election to be held in the county, or at a special election called for that purpose, first giving 30 days’ notice thereof in one or more newspapers published in the county, if any be published therein, or posting written or printed notices in each precinct of the county, which notice shall include the text of the petition and state the amount of the tax to be levied upon the assessed property of the said county which tax shall not exceed 5 mills on the dollar, and be for the issue of the county bonds, to provide funds for the purchase of the site, or sites, and the erection thereon of a public hospital and hospital buildings, and for the support of same, which bonds shall be payable within 30 years, which said election shall be held at the usual places in such county for voting upon county officers, and shall be canvassed in the same manner as the vote for the county officers is canvassed. The ballots to be used in any election at which such hospital question is submitted, shall be printed with a statement substantially as follows:For a mill tax for a bond issue for a public hospital, and for maintenance of same:
YES
NO
(2) If a majority of the freeholders who are qualified electors shall participate in said election and a majority of the votes cast at such election on the proposition so submitted shall be in favor of said tax for such bond issue, the board of county commissioners shall levy a tax so authorized, which shall be collected in the same manner as other taxes are collected, and credited to the hospital fund, and shall be paid out on the order of the hospital trustees for the purposes authorized by this law, and for no other purposes whatever.
