(A) For the purpose of operating the Garrett County Memorial Hospital, there is a Board of Governors, which shall consist of 15 members as follows:
(1) The three County Commissioners of Garrett County or their designees. If a County Commissioner appoints a designee to the Board of Governors, the designee is not subject to approval by the remaining Board members, but is subject to removal under division (E) of this section;
(2) Three persons residing in Garrett County, one to be appointed by each of the County Commissioners. Each appointment under this division is subject to approval by majority vote of the Board of Governors at a meeting consisting of a quorum;
(3) The President of the Town Council of the Town of Oakland or the President's designee. If the President appoints a designee to the Board of Governors, the designee is not subject to approval by the remaining Board members, but is subject to removal under division (E) of this section;
(4) One person who is on the medical staff of the Garrett County Memorial Hospital and who is elected by the medical staff. The selection under this division is subject to approval by majority vote of the Board of Governors at a meeting consisting of a quorum;
(5) Seven at-large members who are selected for their talents, abilities and interest in the affairs of the hospital in accordance with the bylaws of the Board of Governors. The selection of an at-large member requires a majority of the qualified votes of the Board of Governors at a meeting consisting of a quorum. An at-large member may not vote for oneself, for a person who would replace the at-large member or for a person who would replace another at-large member whose term expires at the same time as the at-large member. The election of an at-large member requires at least five affirmative votes.
(B) The terms of members of the Board of Governors shall be as follows:
(1) The terms of the County Commissioners and the term of the President of the Town Council of Oakland, as ex officio members, shall be coextensive with their respective terms of office.
(2) The term of a designee of a County Commissioner or of the President of the Town Council and the terms of members appointed by the County Commissioners is two years or until the current term of the elected official or officials who selected the member ends, whichever occurs first.
(3) The term of the medical staff member is two years.
(4) The term of an at-large member is two years. The terms of at-large members shall be staggered so that three at-large members are elected one year and four at-large members are elected the following year.
(C) Terms extended.
(1) This division only applies if the term of a member appointed by the County Commissioners or of a designee of a County Commissioner or of the President of the Town Council or the term of the medical staff member ends and a replacement member is not selected.
(2) By majority vote of the Board of Governors at a meeting consisting of a quorum, a member's term may be extended until a replacement member is selected in accordance with division (A) of this section or the Board of Governors selects a replacement member under division (F) of this section.
(D) The Board of Governors shall be and is made and constituted a body politic and corporate by the name and style of the Board of Governors of the Garrett County Memorial Hospital and by that name shall have perpetual succession. Subject to § 36.08, the Board of Governors may sue and be sued. The Board of Governors may have a common seal, and alter the same, at its pleasure. The Board of Governors shall have all the powers herein granted it and all such other powers as shall be proper and necessary to operate and manage the hospital and/or a public general hospital, or other health and healthcare-related entities and healthcare-related functions, as fully as if incorporated for such purposes under the provisions of the Public General Laws of Maryland.
(E) Removal of members.
(1) This division does not authorize the removal of a County Commissioner or of the President of the Town Council, serving as ex officio members of the Board of Governors.
(2) The Board of Governors shall have the power, by majority vote of all the members of the Board, to remove a member from the Board for cause, including the failure to satisfy any attendance requirement established in the bylaws. Removal of a member may only occur at a regular meeting, after not less than one week's notice to the member.
(F) The Board of Governors may fill a vacancy on the Board caused by expiration of a term, death, resignation, expulsion or, for a member whose residence in Garrett County is a membership qualification for the Board, removal from the county if the proper selecting body fails to fill the vacancy within 30 days. A vacancy may be filled for the remainder of the term by a majority vote of the Board of Governors at a meeting consisting of a quorum.
(G) The Board of Governors shall elect from among its members a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. The Board shall also elect a Secretary/Treasurer and such other officers as it may determine. The Board shall meet at least ten times a year and such other times as it shall determine or when called by the Chairperson.
(1986 Code, § 71-3) (1957 Code, § 402; 1950, Ch. 25, § 3; 1953, Ch. 165, § 3; 1959, Ch. 166; 1978, Ch. 468; 1993, Ch. 50; Am. by Md. S.B. 366, passed 3-5-1996; Am. by Md. H.B. 1127, passed 5-30-2021; Am. by Md. H.B. 1471, passed 2-26-2022)