[R.O. 1997]
(a)
General Municipal Elections. The general
municipal election shall be held annually on the first Tuesday in
April or on such day as may be mandated by law.
(b)
Special Elections. The City Council may
by resolution or ordinance order special elections, fix the time for
such elections, and provide for holding such elections on any of the
dates provided for elections by law.
(c)
Conduct Of Elections. All City elections
shall be non-partisan and governed by the provisions of this Charter
and applicable law. The City Council may further regulate elections
by ordinance, subject to the provisions of this Charter and other
law.
[R.O. 1997; Ord. No. 1474 § 2, passed in election
4-8-2008]
(a)
Nominations By Petition. Nominations of
candidates for all elective offices shall be by petition filed by
the nominee. No person shall be allowed to be nominated for more than
one (1) office at a time. Petitions for Council Members shall be signed
by not less than twenty-five (25) registered voters who are residents
of the ward. Petitions for the Mayor shall be signed by not less than
one hundred (100) registered voters who are residents of the City.
The Council by ordinance shall designate all procedures for the filing
and acceptance of nominating petitions.
(b)
Filling Vacancies If No Petition Filed.
In the event no candidate files a valid nominating petition for an
elective office prior to the last date permitted by law or this Charter
for such filing, then not later than the date of the scheduled election
the Mayor with advice and consent of a majority of the members of
the City Council shall appoint a qualified person to fill the office
until the next general municipal election. If the Council fails to
consent to the appointment, the Mayor shall make an appointment of
a different qualified person to fill the office within thirty (30)
days of the Council's failure to consent and continue this process
until such time as a majority of the members of the City Council consents
to an appointment.
(c)
Regulation By City Council. Nothing contained
in this Charter shall prevent the City Council from further regulating
the conduct of nominations and elections consistent with the provisions
of this Charter and of other law.
(d)
Certification To Election Authority. The
City Clerk shall certify to the election authority within the time
required by state statutes, the names of candidates who have filed
valid nominating petitions and shall indicate the order in which the
candidates filed petitions for nominations which were verified and
accepted.
[R.O. 1997]
The City Clerk shall cause the names
of the candidates to appear on all ballots and in all election notices
in the order in which the candidates filed petitions for nominations
which were verified and accepted. Prior to the election, the City
Council shall provide an opportunity for the public to question and
examine all candidates in a public forum.
[R.O. 1997]
(a)
Voting. At the election for Mayor each
registered voter who is a resident of the City shall be entitled to
vote for one (1) candidate. At the election for Council Member each
registered voter who is a resident of the City shall be entitled to
vote for one (1) candidate to represent the ward in which the voter
resides. If two (2) Council Members are to be elected from any ward
at the same general municipal election, there shall be placed on the
ballot a single proposition for each open office and each voter shall
be entitled to vote for two (2) candidates. The candidate receiving
the highest number of votes will hold the Council seat with the longest
term, and the candidate receiving the second highest number of votes
will hold the remaining Council seat.
(b)
Determination Of Election Results. The
City Council shall examine the election returns as certified by the
election authority and declare the results of any municipal election,
general or special, at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting.
The candidates shall be declared elected and inducted into office
at that time.
(c)
General And Special Elections Tie Vote.
If at any general municipal election or special election there shall
be two (2) or more candidates receiving an equal number of votes as
certified by the election authority, a tie shall be broken as provided
by law. The incumbent shall remain in office until a successor has
been elected and duly installed.
[R.O. 1997]
(a)
Establishment And Changes. There shall
be eight (8) wards, bounded and numbered the same as the wards that
exist at the time of adoption of this Charter. Ward boundaries shall
be established by ordinance following each decennial census and at
such other times as may be deemed by the Council to be required by
law. Wards shall comprise compact and contiguous territory and shall
contain, as nearly as practicable, an equal number of residents. When
the average population per ward exceeds five thousand (5,000), an
additional ward may be added by ordinance, provided the total number
of wards shall not exceed twelve (12). If an additional ward is not
added within one (1) year of the determination that such a limit has
been exceeded, then the question shall be submitted to the voters
of the City at the next general municipal election in the following
form:
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Shall an additional ward be added
to the City and the boundaries of the wards be adjusted accordingly?
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Such a question shall be submitted
to the voters of the City once every five (5) years for as long as
the average population of the wards shall exceed five thousand (5,000),
until the number of wards has reached twelve (12). Population may
be determined by any fair and reliable, direct or indirect, measurement.
A Redistricting Committee, appointed in accordance with this Charter,
shall recommend any changes in ward boundaries.
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(b)
Redistricting Committee. The Redistricting
Committee may be established from time to time and shall consist of
one (1) resident from each existing ward appointed by the Mayor and
individually approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the City
Council. Such appointed residents shall not hold any other appointive
or elective position with the City. The committee shall submit its
findings to the City Council and, if redistricting is required by
law, the findings shall be approved unless a two-thirds (2/3) majority
of the members of the City Council shall object, in which case the
Council may establish other boundaries by a two-thirds (2/3) majority
of the members of the City Council or return the findings for reconsideration.
(c)
Representation After Boundary Changes.
Redrawn wards and newly created wards shall take effect for Council
elections at the next general municipal election. Any Council Member
who no longer resides in his or her ward upon the boundaries being
redrawn shall remain in office until expiration of that term.
