No person shall be eligible to be a member of Council unless he or she is a qualified elector of the City and has been a resident of the City and, in the case of a ward Council member of the respective ward which he or she represents, for one (1) year immediately prior to his or her election or appointment, and no member shall serve as a member of Council unless he or she shall continue to reside in and be an elector of the City and, in the case of a ward Council member, of the respective ward which he or she represents throughout the term of office. Except as otherwise provided herein, no member of Council shall hold any other public office, or any other office or employment with the City of Defiance.
Council, by a majority vote, shall be the sole and final judge of the qualifications of its members. Any member of Council who shall cease to possess or who violates any of the qualifications herein enumerated shall forfeit his or her office. Removal of a Council member shall follow the procedure set forth in Section 1.11 of this Charter. Failure of any member of Council to maintain said qualifications shall not render void or ineffective any action of the Council taken during the time he or she was not qualified. (Amended 11-3-09)