The legislative powers of the Municipality except as otherwise provided by this Charter and the Constitution of the State of Ohio, shall be vested in a council of five (5) members consisting of the Mayor and four (4) persons elected from the Municipality at large.
Councilmembers may serve up to a maximum of four (4) consecutive terms including those completed as of November, 2023. At the November 2023 election Councilmembers shall be elected to staggered terms of two (2), and four (4) years as follows:
i. The two (2) councilmembers elected who received the greatest number of votes at the November 2023 election shall serve terms of four (4) years.
ii. The other councilmembers elected shall serve terms of two (2) years.
Commencing at the November 2025 election and thereafter, all elected Councilmembers shall serve terms of four (4) years. A Councilperson will be eligible for election to any office after an intervening term. The mayor shall be elected in a manner provided by Section 3.05 of this Charter. Members of Council shall take office January 1 of the year following their election and shall serve until the expiration of their term of office and until their successors are elected and qualified. If for any reason a member of Council shall fail to quality for office within forty-five (45) days and after January 1 of the year following his election, a vacancy shall be deemed to exist and sueh vacancy shall be filled in the manner provided in Section 3.14 of this Charter.
(Amended 11-6-18; 11-8-22)
All members of Council shall have been electors of the Municipality for at least one (1) continuous year immediately prior to the time of filing for office, and shall continue to be qualified electors of the Municipality during their respective terms of office. No member of Council shall hold any other office or employment with the Municipality, except as otherwise allowed by this Charter or by ordinance of the Council, nor shall any member of Council hold any other public office, except the following: Notary Public; member of National Guard or state militia; member of the reserves of the Armed Forces of the United States; national, state, ward or precinct committeeperson of a political party or any other office of a political party; and delegate to a municipal, County, state or national convention of a political party.
Any member of Council who shall cease to possess or who violates any of the qualifications of office herein provided or who is finally convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude shall forthwith forfeit his office. Forfeiture of office as provided herein shall not render void or invalidate any action of the Council in which such member participated.
Any councilmember may, after absence from his official duties for three (3) consecutive months, be removed by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Council; and any councilmember shall, after absence from his official duties for five (5) consecutive months, be removed by a majority vote of the remaining members of Council and their office declared vacant. An accused member shall be notified of the charge against them and given an opportunity to be heard in person or by counsel.
The Council shall be the judge of the election, qualifications, and removal of its members and for such purpose shall have powers to subpoena witnesses and require the production of records, but the decision of the Council in any case shall be subject to review by the courts.
A member of Council shall not vote upon the question regarding their removal. Failure to maintain qualifications or removal from office shall not invalidate any action of the Council in which such member participated.
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