Council shall be the sole and final judge of the election and qualification of its members. Any member of Council who shall cease to possess or who violates any of the qualifications in the Charter shall forfeit the office. 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 the member was not qualified.
Council may remove any member for gross misconduct, or malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance in office; or for conviction while in office of a crime involving moral turpitude; or if adjudicated legally incompetent; or for a violation of the oath of office; or persistent failure to abide by the rules of Council; or absence without justifiable excuse from four consecutive regular meetings of Council, or from nine regular meetings in one year excused or not. However, such expulsion shall not take place without the concurrence of two-thirds of the remaining members of Council, nor until the accused member shall have been notified in writing of the charge against the accused member at least fifteen days in advance of a public hearing upon such charge, and at which time the accused member or the accused member's counsel shall be given an opportunity to be heard, present evidence, and examine, under oath, any witness appearing in support of such charge. (Amended by voters 11-2-21.)