[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:
Shall an additional ward be added to the City and the boundaries of the wards be adjusted accordingly?
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.
(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.