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SECTION 3.02   QUALIFICATIONS AND DEFINITION.
   All members of the Council shall have been residents of the City for at least one continuous year immediately prior to the time of their election, shall be qualified electors of the City, and shall continue to be qualified electors thereof throughout their respective terms of office. In addition to the qualifications provided hereinabove, members of Council elected from wards shall have been residents of the ward from which they seek election for at least one continuous year immediately prior to the time of their election and shall continue to be qualified electors thereof throughout their respective terms of office. Members of Council shall hold no other elective or appointive office, position or employment with the City, nor shall they hold any other elective public office, except that of member of the county central committee of the political party of which they are members or that of a delegate to a state or national political party convention of the political party of which they are members.
   Any member of Council who shall cease to possess or who violates any of the qualifications of office herein provided; who is finally convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude; or who fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Council, unless such absence is excused by a majority vote of the members present at such meetings or a subsequent meeting of the Council, shall be subject to the forfeiture of his office in the manner provided by Sec. 21.08 of this Charter, A member of Council shall not vote upon the question of whether his absence from a regular meeting shall be excused.
   As used in this Charter, the phrase "members of Council" and the words "Council" and"member", when the word "member" is used in reference to the Council, shall include all persons whether elected to office as a member of Council or appointed thereto to fill a vacancy in the Council membership.
SECTION 3.03   DIVISION OF CITY INTO WARDS.
   The seven wards, and the territory in each such ward, under the statutory form of government as they are constituted on the effective date of this Charter shall be the wards for the purpose of electing ward Council members under this Charter; however additional wards may be created and ward boundaries may be re-established as hereinafter provided by this section.
   When any territory is annexed or otherwise attached to the City, which territory contains the same or a greater number of registered voters than is contained in any existing ward, that territory shall constitute an additional ward and a member of Council from said ward shall be elected at a special election within the new ward so created not sooner than thirty days nor later than sixty days after the annexation or other attachment of such territory to the City becomes final. The member of Council elected from such newly created ward need only be an elector of the ward in order to qualify for the term of office for which he is elected at such special election, and such member shall hold office until his successor is elected at the next regular municipal election. Candidates at such special election shall be nominated by petitions containing not less than one hundred signatures of electors residing in such newly created ward, and such nominating petitions shall be filed with the Board of Elections of the county within which the City is located or within which the major portion of the population thereof, ascertained by the next preceding Federal census, is located, if the City is situated in more than one county, not later than 4:00 p.m. of the 30th day before the day of such special election. The person receiving the greatest number of votes cast at such special election shall be elected and shall take office five days after his election is certified by the Board of Elections. After the initial special election, members of Council from such newly created wards shall have the qualifications of ward Council members as provided in Sec. 3.02 of this Charter and shall be elected in the manner provided in Article XVIII of this Charter.
   When any territory is annexed or otherwise attached to the City, which territory contains fewer registered voters than is contained in any existing contiguous ward or wards, the Council shall cause such territory to be attached to an existing contiguous ward or wards.
   After each recurring Federal census and within three months after the issuance of the proclamation by the Secretary of State of the population of the City, the Council shall by ordinance, redivide the City into wards, not exceeding the number provided herein, in order to provide substantially equal population in each of the wards. All wards so established shall be bounded, as far as practical, by county lines, streets, alleys, avenues, public grounds, canals, watercourses, municipal boundary lines, center lines of platted streets or railroads, or lot lines of platted subdivisions. Redivision of the City into wards by the Council shall not terminate or otherwise affect the unexpired terms of ward Council members; however at the next regular municipal election at which ward Council members are to be elected following the redivision of the City into wards, providing such redivision is in full force and effect at least thirty days prior to the date for filing declarations of candidacy by ward Council members, ward Council members shall be elected from the wards as re-established under this section.
SECTION 3.04   ORGANIZATION OF COUNCIL.
   On the first Monday of December of each odd-numbered year, the Council shall meet in the Council chambers for the purpose of organization. The Council shall adopt its own rules, regulations and by-laws except as otherwise provided in this Charter.
(Amended 11-3-81)
(Editor’s Note: Because of the 2006 amendment to Charter Section 23.01 (Terms of Elected Officials), the first sentence of Section 3.04 should be deemed to mean that at the first meeting of Council in each even numbered year, the Council shall meet in the Council chambers for the purpose of organization. See Section 23.01)
SECTION 3.05   PRESIDENT OF COUNCIL.
   On the first Monday of December of each odd-numbered year, the Council shall elect from its own members a President of Council, who shall serve at the pleasure of Council and until a successor is elected by Council. The President of Council shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the Council and shall perform such other duties as provided by this Charter or by ordinance, resolution or motion passed by the Council. While presiding over special or regular meetings of the Council, the President of Council may vote upon all matters coming before the Council, but in no event shall the President of Council, in his dual capacity as Council member and presiding officer, cast more than one vote on any action.
(Amended 11-3-81)
(Editor’s Note: Because of the 2006 amendment to Charter Section 23.01 (Terms of Elected Officials), the first sentence of Section 3.05 should be deemed to mean that at the first meeting of Council in each even numbered year, the Council shall elect from its own members a President of Council, who shall serve at the pleasure of Council and until a successor is elected by Council. See Section 23.01)
SECTION 3.06   PRESIDENT PRO TEM OF COUNCIL.
   On the first Monday of December of each odd-numbered year, the Council shall elect from its own members a President Pro Tem, who shall serve at the pleasure of Council. The President Pro Tem shall act as the presiding officer of the Council in the absence or disability of the President of Council and shall exercise all the powers and duties granted the President of Council by this Charter during the absence or disability of the President of Council. While presiding over special or regular meetings of the Council the President Pro Tem may vote upon all matters coming before the Council, but in no event shall the President Pro Tem, in his dual capacity as Council member and presiding officer of Council, cast more than one vote on any action. In the event that the office of President of Council shall become vacant the President Pro Tem of Council shall become President of Council for the remainder of the term, and the Council shall elect a successor from among the membership of Council to the office of President Pro Tem for the remainder of that term.
(Amended 11-3-81)
(Editor’s Note: Because of the 2006 amendment to Charter Section 23.01 (Terms of Elected Officials), the first sentence of Section 3.06 should be deemed to mean that at the first meeting of Council in each even numbered year, the Council shall elect from its own members a President Pro Tem, who shall serve at the pleasure of Council. See Section 23.01)
SECTION 3.07   CLERK OF COUNCIL.
   The Clerk of Council shall be appointed by the Council and shall serve at its pleasure. The Clerk of Council shall keep an accurate and complete journal of the proceedings of Council and perform such other duties as this Charter or the Council may require. The Clerk of Council may be a person having employment or appointment with the City. The Council may employ such other employees as it deems necessary for the proper discharge of its duties. The Clerk of Council shall give such notice of regular meetings of the Council to the members of Council and the citizens of the City as the Council may direct.
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