The governing body of any city of the second class may levy a tax on each dollar of assessed valuation of all property in the city, for the purpose of acquiring a site and building a hospital in the city and paying a portion of the principal and interest on bonds issued by such city under the authority of Kan. Stat. Ann. § 12-1774, and amendments thereto. Before such tax is levied, a petition fixing the amount of the levy, the cost of the site, and the cost of the building, signed by not less than 40% of the electors of such city, as shown by the official vote cast at the last preceding general election in the city, shall be presented to such governing body, asking that such a tax be levied for such purpose. Upon receipt and approval of the petition by the governing body thereof, the governing body shall pass a resolution approving such petition, declaring such hospital to be a public benefit and ordering that the levy of the tax be made.

The resolution shall be published once each week for two consecutive weeks in the official newspaper published in the city. If a petition signed by at least 40% of the electors of the city and protesting the acquisition of the site, the building of the hospital and the levying of the tax is presented to the governing body within 60 days from the date of the passage of the resolution, the governing body shall submit the proposition to make such levy, stating the amount of such levy, to a vote of the qualified electors of the city at an election called for that purpose. The election shall be held at a date not more than 90 days from the date of the filing of the protest petition. If a majority of the qualified voters of the city voting at such election vote in favor of the levying of the tax, the governing body shall at once proceed to make the levy.