SECTION 7. RE-DIVISION OF WARDS AND BOUNDARIES.

   If a decennial census warrants the redistricting of wards, Council shall subdivide the City into wards, equal in number to the members of Council to be elected from wards, within ninety days after the first day of October of the year following the decennial census year. All action to redistrict the City into wards shall be taken by ordinance.

   All wards shall be bounded, as far as practicable, by City corporation lines, streets, alleys, lot lines, avenues, watercourses, center lines of platted streets, or railroads and shall be composed of compact, contiguous territory and substantially equal in population.

   For purposes of the next general election of ward council members, the new wards and boundaries shall replace previous wards and boundaries, as of the effective date of the ordinance. For all other purposes, the new wards and boundaries shall take effect as of the date the newly elected ward Council members take office.

   No Council member shall be removed by amending the ward boundaries as set forth herein and any council member affected by a redistricting shall continue to serve the original ward from which he was elected until the expiration of his or term in office.

   In the event that a candidate’s ward number changes as a result of redistricting pursuant to this section, if the candidate would have met the qualifications required pursuant to Article IV, Section 3 for his previous ward, the candidate will be deemed qualified as a candidate for the new ward.

(Enacted 11-7-00)