If such a petition be filed in the office of the Town Clerk in a calendar year that a biennial Town election is scheduled, but not less than 120 days prior to such election, the proposition shall be submitted at such biennial election. If a petition be presented at any other time which is not less than 120 days prior to a general election, the proposition shall be submitted at the next general election held after the filing of such petition. |
§ 85. Ward system for election of Councilmen. Whenever a proposition shall have been adopted in the Town for the establishment of the ward system and the election thereafter of one Councilman from each ward, the Town Board shall divide the Town into four wards and fix the boundaries thereof, unless a proposition shall have been adopted to increase the number of Councilmen from four to six, in which instance the Town Board shall divide the Town into six wards and fix the boundaries thereof. The division shall be made so that the number of inhabitants in each ward, based upon the last regular federal census, shall be substantially equal, with wards composed of convenient and contiguous territory in as compact form as practicable. No election district heretofore or hereinafter created under the Election Law shall contain parts of two or more wards. The Town Board shall make appropriate revisions of the boundaries of the wards so that they shall contain a substantially equal number of inhabitants not later than six months after the publication of the results of a regular federal census which indicates that the districts do not contain a substantially equal number of inhabitants. When the Town Board shall have finally determined the boundaries of the wards, it shall cause a map of the Town to be prepared, showing, in detail, the location of each ward and the boundaries thereof. The original map so made shall be filed in the office of the Town Clerk, and copies thereof shall be filed in the offices of the County Clerk and the Board of Elections of Putnam County. The ward system shall be deemed established after such filing is complete. |