Section 128. General powers and duties of managers

The board of managers
  shall:
    1.  Elect  from  among   its   members   annually   a   president,   a
  vice-president,  and  a  secretary. It shall appoint a superintendent of
  the hospital, who shall not be a member of the board  of  managers,  and
  who shall hold office at the pleasure of said board.
    2.  Erect all necessary buildings; make all necessary improvements and
  repairs and alter any existing buildings, for the use of said  hospital,
  provided  that  all expenditures for new buildings or alterations, other
  than ordinary repairs, shall first be authorized by the governing  board
  of  the county, town, city or village and the plans therefor approved by
  the state board of charities.
    3. Fix the salary of the superintendent and the number and salaries of
  all other  employees,  within  the  limits  of  the  appropriation  made
  therefor  by  the  governing  board,  and  such  salaries, together with
  maintenance when  provided,  shall  be  compensation  in  full  for  all
  services  rendered.  The  board  of managers may determine the amount of
  time required to be spent at the hospital by said superintendent in  the
  discharge   of  his  duties,  and  may  also  determine  in  what  cases
  maintenance shall be provided for nurses  and  other  employees  of  the
  hospital.
    4.  Provide for the medical care and treatment of all persons admitted
  to the hospital; and shall appoint and may at pleasure remove  resident,
  visiting  and  consulting  physicians  and surgeons; and shall establish
  rules and regulations governing the service thereof.
    5. Have the general superintendence, management  and  control  of  the
  said  hospital  and  of  the grounds, buildings, officers, employees and
  inmates  thereof;  and  of  all  matters  relating  to  the  government,
  discipline,  contracts  and fiscal concerns thereof; and make such rules
  and regulations as may seem to them necessary for carrying  into  effect
  the purposes of such hospital; and may designate the purchasing agent of
  any  municipality  as  the  purchasing  agent  of  said  board  for  the
  purchasing of all necessary furniture, appliances,  fixtures  and  other
  needed facilities for the care and treatment of patients and for the use
  of  officers and employees thereof, and all necessary supplies, and said
  purchasing agent shall render a monthly report of his activities to said
  board.
    5-a. Institute actions at law and in  equity  for  the  collection  of
  claims  and obligations due to the hospital from any and all causes, and
  to prosecute, compromise or settle such claims and obligations,  and  to
  retain  counsel  to  conduct  such litigations, provided that a board of
  managers  may  contract  with  a  private  collection  agency  for   the
  collection of overdue claims and obligations.
    6.  Maintain an effective inspection of said hospital, and keep itself
  informed of the affairs  and  management  thereof;  shall  meet  at  the
  hospital at least once in every month, and at such other times as may be
  prescribed  in  the  by-laws; and shall hold its annual meeting at least
  three weeks prior to  the  meeting  of  the  governing  board  at  which
  appropriations for the ensuing year are to be considered.
    7.  Keep  in  a  book provided for that purpose a proper record of its
  proceedings, which shall be open at all times to the inspection  of  its
  members,  of  the  members of the governing board and of duly authorized
  representatives of the state board of charities.
    8. Notwithstanding the  provisions  of  any  other  general  law,  and
  subject  to  such  rules  and  regulations  as  the  governing board may
  prescribe, audit all bills and accounts payable out of funds within  its
  jurisdiction  and  order  their  payment  by  the  fiscal officer of the
  county, town, city or village. Fixed salaries and the  compensation  for

  services  of  employees or officers regularly engaged by the hospital at
  agreed wages by the hour, day, week, month or year may be  paid  without
  prior  audit.  When  authorized by resolution of the governing board the
  board  of  managers  may  appoint  a treasurer in the manner provided in
  subdivision four of section one  hundred  twenty-six  of  this  chapter.
  Notwithstanding  the  provisions of any other general law, the treasurer
  shall pay the bills and accounts ordered paid by the board  of  managers
  and at least once in each month shall transmit to the governing board an
  itemized  statement  thereof,  which  statement  shall  also include all
  payments made by the treasurer for fixed salaries and wages.
    9. Make to the governing board of the county, town, city or village by
  which the hospital is maintained, at such  times  as  said  board  shall
  direct,  a detailed annual report of the operations of the hospital, the
  number of patients received, the methods and results of their treatment,
  and such other matters as may be required of them. Such reports,  except
  in  the  case  of counties, shall include full and detailed estimates of
  the appropriations required during the ensuing year  for  all  purposes,
  including  maintenance, erection of buildings, repairs, improvements and
  other necessary purposes.
    10. Provide at their discretion ambulance service to bring patients to
  or  remove  them  from  said  hospital,  and  to  adopt  a  schedule  of
  appropriate  charges  and  collect  the same for said service, and in so
  doing to establish, own and operate said service itself or  to  contract
  with a county in which said hospital is located, or with a city, town or
  village  included  in  the hospital district, or with a private concern,
  for the supply and operation of such ambulance service for said hospital
  and its district. Any such contract may include provisions for  purchase
  of  equipment,  hiring and payment of necessary employees, establishment
  of a schedule of charges and collection of  the  same,  payment  by  the
  hospital  of  said collections or other costs to the county, city, town,
  village or private concern, supplying the service, reimbursement to  any
  said  county,  city,  town,  village  or  private concern supplying said
  service by the city,  village  or  town  using  such  service,  and  for
  coverage  with  insurance  or  by  existing  provisions  of  law  of all
  employees  engaged  in,  and  persons  using  such  service,  and  other
  necessary matters.