Section 11-44D-5
Council-manager form of government.
If a majority of the qualified electors voting in the referendum herein choose a council-manager form of government the following provisions of this chapter shall be applicable:
(1) The municipality shall thereafter and as provided in this chapter be governed by a council-manager form of government, with a five-member council elected from single-member districts, which municipality shall have the same powers and duties as other council-manager municipalities organized under chapter 43A, Title 11, and any other powers and duties not inconsistent with this chapter, which may have been heretofore granted to such municipalities.
(2) The council shall include five members who shall be elected from districts, which shall be, as near as practicable, of equal population according to the last federal decennial census, but not more than five percent, more or less, than the average of the five districts.
(3) The council members shall be qualified electors of the city, they shall have been residents of the district which they represent for at least 90 days prior to the time of filing their statement of candidacy and shall reside in their district during their term of office. If any councilman shall remove from within the limits of his district, his office shall become vacant.
(4) The council shall, by the affirmative vote of at least three members, elect one of its members to serve as mayor and one of its members to serve as assistant mayor. The mayor shall preside at the meetings of the council and shall be recognized as the head of municipal government for all ceremonial purposes and by the governor for purpose of military law, but shall have no other administrative duties. The assistant mayor shall act as mayor during the absence or disability of the mayor. Any vacancies in the offices of mayor or assistant mayor shall be filled by majority vote of the remaining members of the council. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, council members may vote for themselves for the offices of mayor and assistant mayor.
(5) The council shall exercise the same powers, functions, and duties as exercised by the council of any other municipality organized pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 43A, Title 11.
(6) The council, by a majority vote of the whole qualified membership of the council, shall appoint a city manager, who shall have the same qualifications, perform the same duties, and assume the same obligations as the manager of any other municipality organized pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 43A, Title 11.
(7) Any vacancies on the council shall be filled as herein provided:
a. If the vacated term has less than one year remaining then the remaining members of the council shall appoint a successor at any regular meeting by a majority vote of those members voting. In the event of a deadlock, and for purposes of breaking the deadlock, the mayor shall cast an additional vote to fill the vacancy. For purposes of this paragraph, a deadlock shall be determined to exist when at the end of the third regular meeting of the council following the creation of the vacancy, the council shall not have selected a person to fill the vacancy.
b. If the term has been declared vacant and has one year or more remaining, the council shall call for a special election to fill the vacancy. Such election shall be held not less than 60 days nor more than 90 days from the date such vacancy occurred. Special elections called pursuant to this subsection shall be conducted as provided by the general laws of this state regarding municipal elections.
c. The person selected or elected to fill a vacancy shall possess all the qualifications of office, including residence in the district he represents, and shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term until a successor has been qualified and elected.
(8) All laws or parts of laws relating to other council-manager municipalities organized under Chapter 43A, Title 11, not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter, shall become applicable to any municipality choosing the council-manager form of government pursuant to this chapter.
(Acts 1986, No. 86-195, p. 240, §5.)