Vacancies in the City Council shall be filled by special elections from the districts whose places have been vacated. Vacancies in the office of mayor shall be filled under the provisions applicable to other council members except that the district of the mayor shall be the city as a whole. These special elections shall be held on the first available election date specified in the Texas Election Code unless the council shall request, and receive, permission from the governor to call an emergency special election. If vacancies should occur within thirty (30) days of the special election date, the council may set the election for the next date following the impending special election date or it may request permission for an emergency special election from the governor.
In the event any candidate for a vacancy fails to receive a majority of all votes cast for all the candidates for such vacancy at such special election, the mayor shall on the first day following the completion of the official count of the ballots cast at said special election issue a call for a run-off election pursuant to Chapter IV, section 2, to be held in accordance with the Texas Election Code to determine who shall be elected. Such new council members, when duly qualified and elected, shall serve for the unexpired period of the terms of the council members whose offices are being filled. However, no such elections shall be held where said vacancy shall occur within a period of less than ninety (90) days prior to a general election as specified in Chapter IV, section 2. When a vacancy shall occur less than ninety (90) days prior to the general election as specified in Chapter IV, section 2, a majority of the remaining council members may appoint a qualified person from the district whose place has been vacated to serve the unexpired term.
Should a vacancy occur in the office of mayor, the mayor pro tem shall serve until a special election shall be called under the rules pertaining to filling vacancies among the other councilmembers. If members of the City Council seek the office of mayor in such a special election, they shall first resign from the City Council, and special elections, simultaneous to the mayoral election, shall be held in their districts under the terms specified above.
(Ord. 10272, § I(II), 3-16-1989, approved 5-6-1989; Ord. 16797, § 1(III), 1-24-2006, approved 5-13-2006)