Any member of Council may be removed from office by the following procedure: a petition signed by at least twenty percent of the qualified voters of a ward for a ward Council member or of the City for an at-large member shall be filed with the City Clerk, which Petition shall contain a general statement of the grounds for which the removal is sought. The petition shall be accompanied by a bond in an amount determined by the City Clerk to equal the cost of the recall election with sufficient surety to pay the cost of the recall election if a majority of the legal votes cast are against the recall. Such petition and bond shall be submitted to, examined and certified by the City Clerk, and if such petition be deemed sufficient by the City Clerk, the City Clerk shall certify the same to the City Council without delay. Upon receipt of such petition the Council shall order and fix a date for holding a special recall election, not less than thirty days nor more than fifty days from the date of the City Clerk’s certificate. The Council shall publish notice of the election at least ten days prior to the recall election in two newspapers of general circulation in the City. The ballot for such recall election shall be substantially of the following form and effect:
OFFICIAL BALLOT day of , in the year . Special recall election for the removal of . For the recall of Against the recall of |
Should a majority of the votes cast be in favor of recall the person recalled shall forthwith forfeit his/her office and the Council shall appoint a successor to such office following the provisions in Section 6 of this Charter.
The method of removal shall be cumulative and in addition to any other methods of removal provided by law. No recall petition shall be filed within ninety days succeeding or preceding any regular Council election. Not more than one recall election shall be held with respect to an officer during his/her term of office.