Each member of the Council shall have resided in the village for at least one year immediately preceding his election, and shall be an elector of the village. No member of the Council shall hold any other public office, be interested in any contract with the village, or hold employment with the village, except that a member may be a notary public, a member of the state militia, or a volunteer fireman of the village. The Council member shall be eligible to receive compensation for his services as a volunteer fireman of the village, or as an emergency medical technician (EMT) in addition to his compensation as a member of Council. Any member who ceases to possess any of these qualifications, or who removes from the village, shall forfeit his office. The purpose of establishing a one-year residency requirement in this section is to recognize that the state has a substantial and compelling interest in encouraging qualified candidacies for election to the office of member of the Council by ensuring that a candidate for the office has every opportunity to become knowledgeable with and concerned about the problems and needs of the area he seeks to represent. In enacting this requirement, the general assembly finds that the one-year period is reasonably related to this purpose, while leaving unimpaired a person's right to travel, to vote, and to be a candidate for public office.
(R.C. § 731.12) ('81 Code § 32.04) (Am. Ord. 2017-O-14, passed 7-25-17)