131E-21. Conflict of interest.
(a) No commissioner or employee of the hospital authority or that person's spouse shall do either of the following:
(1) Acquire any interest, direct or indirect, in any hospital facility or in any property included or planned to be included in a hospital facility.
(2) Have any interest, direct or indirect, in any contract or proposed contract for materials or services to be furnished or used in connection with any hospital facility, except an employment contract for an employee. The foregoing restriction shall not apply to any contract, undertaking, or other transaction with a bank or banking institution, savings and loan association or public utility in the regular course of its business; Provided that any such contract, undertaking, or other transaction shall be authorized by the commissioners by specific resolution on which no commissioner having an interest, direct or indirect, shall vote.
(b) The fact that a person or that person's spouse owns ten percent (10%) or less stock of a corporation or has a ten percent (10%) or less ownership in any other business entity or is an employee of that corporation or other business entity does not make the person have an "interest, direct or indirect" as this phrase is used in subsection (a) of this section; provided that, in order for the exception to apply, the contract, undertaking or other transaction shall be authorized by the commissioners by specific resolution on which no commissioner or employee having an interest, direct or indirect, shall vote.
(c) If a commissioner or employee of an authority or that person's spouse owns or controls an interest, direct or indirect, in any property included or planned to be included in any hospital facility, the commissioner or employee shall immediately disclose the same in writing to the authority and the disclosure shall be entered upon the minutes of the authority. Failure to disclose shall constitute misconduct in office and shall be grounds for a commissioner's removal from office under G.S. 131E-22.
(d) Subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to any commissioner of a hospital authority if (i) the undertaking or contract or series of undertakings or contracts between the hospital authority and one of its officials is approved by specific resolution of the governing body adopted in an open and public meeting and recorded in its minutes and the amount does not exceed twelve thousand five hundred dollars ($12,500) for medically related services and twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for other goods or services within a 12-month period; and (ii) the official entering into the contract or undertaking with the hospital authority does not in an official capacity participate in any way or vote.
(e) Subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to any employment relationship between a hospital authority and the spouse of a commissioner of the hospital authority.
(f) A contract entered into in violation of this section is void. A contract that is void under this section may continue in effect until an alternative can be arranged when: (i) immediate termination would result in harm to the public health or welfare, and (ii) the continuation is approved as provided in this subsection. A hospital authority that is a party to the contract may request approval to continue contracts under this subsection from the chairman of the Local Government Commission. Approval of continuation of contracts under this subsection shall be given for the minimum period necessary to protect the public health or welfare.