AN ACT to require that regular municipal elections for all municipalities in catawba county be held in even‑numbered years.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

TOWN OF BROOKFORD

SECTION 1.(a)  Section 3 of the Charter of the Town of Brookford, being Chapter 230 of the Private Laws of 1907, as amended by Chapter 109 of the 1961 Session Laws and Town Ordinance, reads as rewritten:

Sec. 3. That the officers of the said corporation shall be a mayor, three commissioners and such other officers and agents as may be appointed by the board of commissioners to enforce their ordinances, keep their records, and otherwise aid in the conduct of the affairs of the town. That until Tuesday after the first Monday in May, one thousand nine hundred and seven, T. J. Leonard is appointed to the office of mayor of said town, and W. H. Shuford, J. W. Ballew and C. E. Cole are appointed commissioners thereof; that the said mayor and commissioners shall hold their offices until their successors are elected and qualified, as hereafter provided.The officers of the Town of Brookford shall be a mayor and four aldermen. The term of office for mayor shall be four years. The terms of office for the aldermen shall be four‑year staggered terms.

SECTION 1.(b)  Section 4 of the Charter of the Town of Brookford, being Chapter 230 of the Private Laws of 1907, as amended by Chapter 109 of the 1961 Session Laws and Town Ordinance, reads as rewritten:

Sec. 4. That there shall be an election to the offices of mayor and commissioners of said town on Tuesday after the first Monday in May, one thousand nine hundred and seven, and biennially thereafter, under the same restrictions and regulations under which Shate and county elections are held, and as provided by law for elections in cities and towns in North Carolina.Regular municipal elections for officers in the Town of Brookford shall be held at the time of the general election in each even‑numbered year. The election shall be conducted on a nonpartisan plurality basis and the results determined in accordance with G.S. 163‑292. Except as otherwise provided, the election shall be conducted in accordance with the uniform municipal election laws in Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.

SECTION 1.(c)  No municipal elections shall be conducted in the Town of Brookford in 2027. The terms of office for the two aldermen in the Town of Brookford serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2027 shall be extended by one year. The terms of office for the mayor and two aldermen in the Town of Brookford serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2029 shall be extended by one year. Regular municipal elections in the Town of Brookford shall resume in even‑numbered years beginning in 2028 with the same staggering of terms as when elections were conducted in the odd‑numbered years.

TOWN OF CATAWBA

SECTION 2.(a)  Section 4 of the Charter of the Town of Catawba, being Chapter 274 of the Private Laws of 1893, as amended by Chapter 333 of the 1951 Session Laws, Chapter 224 of the 1965 Session Laws, Town Ordinance No. 02‑10 adopted on July 1, 2002, and Town Ordinance No. 2006‑15 adopted on November 6, 2006, and referred to as Section 5 in the current amended Town Code, reads as rewritten:

Sec. 5. Elections.

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(b) Elections shall be conducted on the first Tuesday of November in odd-numbered even‑numbered years as provided by the laws of North Carolina.

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(d) The mayor shall be elected every four years, for a term of four years, beginning with the regular municipal election in 2007.years.

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SECTION 2.(b)  No municipal elections shall be conducted in the Town of Catawba in 2027. The terms of office for the mayor and two council members in the Town of Catawba serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2027 shall be extended by one year. The terms of office for the two council members in the Town of Catawba serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2029 shall be extended by one year. Regular municipal elections in the Town of Catawba shall resume in even‑numbered years beginning in 2028 with the same staggering of terms as when elections were conducted in the odd‑numbered years.

CITY OF CLAREMONT

SECTION 3.(a)  Section 3 of the Charter of the City of Claremont, being Chapter 11 of the Private Laws of 1893, as amended by Chapter 76 of the 1961 Session Laws, Chapter 97 of the 1975 Session Laws, S.L. 2005‑54, and Town Ordinance adopted on February 3, 1976, reads as rewritten:

Sec. 3. Elections; Terms of mayor and councilmen.council members.

(a)        At the regular annual election of city officers in May, 1961, in the City of Claremont, the qualified voters shall elect a mayor and five (5) councilmen.The governing body for the City of Claremont shall consist of a mayor and five council members, elected to serve four‑year staggered terms. Regular municipal elections shall be held at the time of the general election in each even‑numbered year. Council members for the City of Claremont shall be elected on a nonpartisan plurality basis and the results determined in accordance with G.S. 163‑292. Except as otherwise provided, the election shall be conducted in accordance with the uniform municipal election laws in Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.

(b)        The mayor to be elected in 2005 shall shall be elected to serve for a term of four years or until a successor is duly elected and qualified. Thereafter, a mayor shall be elected every four years in the odd-numbered years and the term of office shall be four years.

(c)        Of the five (5) councilmen now holding office in the City of Claremont, Catawba County, successors to the offices now held by Harold McRee Wilson, Eddy Gaither Harwell, and William David Watts shall be elected at the November, 1975, election, and every four (4) years thereafter, for the City of Claremont and shall serve for terms of four (4) years or until their successors are elected and qualified. Successors to the offices now held by Timothy Allan Lowrance and Gary Wayne Carpenter shall be elected at the regular November, 1977, election, and every four (4) years thereafter, for the City of Claremont and shall serve for terms of four (4) years or until their successors are elected and qualified. The terms of office of Timothy Allan Lowrance and Gary Wayne Carpenter are hereby extended to November, 1977, or until their successors are elected and qualified. Thereafter, as the terms of office expire, councilmen Council members elected at regular town City elections shall serve for terms of four (4) years or until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

SECTION 3.(b)  No municipal elections shall be conducted in the City of Claremont in 2027. The terms of office for the three council members in the City of Claremont serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2027 shall be extended by one year. The terms of office for the mayor and two council members in the City of Claremont serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2029 shall be extended by one year. Regular municipal elections in the City of Claremont shall resume in even‑numbered years beginning in 2028 with the same staggering of terms as when elections were conducted in the odd‑numbered years.

CITY OF CONOVER

SECTION 4.(a)  Section 4.01 of the Charter of the City of Conover, being Chapter 78 of the 1977 Session Laws, as amended by City Ordinance No. 16‑96 adopted July 8, 1996, reads as rewritten:

Section 4.01. Conduct of city elections. Regular municipal elections shall be held at the time of the general election in each even‑numbered year. All elections for mayor and council shall be held on a nonpartisan basis and the results determined by plurality as provided in G.S. 163-279(a)(1). G.S. 163‑292. The term of office of the mayor shall be four (4) years. The terms of office of councilmen council members shall be four years. At the regular election in November, 1997, and quadrennially thereafter, two councilmen and the mayor shall be elected. At the regular election in November, 1979, and quadrennially thereafter, three councilmen shall be elected. four‑year staggered terms. The elections for the City of Conover shall be held and conducted pursuant to the applicable provisions of Articles 23 and 24 of in accordance with the uniform municipal election laws in Chapter 163 of the General Statutes of North Carolina.Statutes, except as otherwise provided.

SECTION 4.(b)  No municipal elections shall be conducted in the City of Conover in 2027. The terms of office for the three council members in the City of Conover serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2027 shall be extended by one year. The terms of office for the mayor and two council members in the City of Conover serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2029 shall be extended by one year. Regular municipal elections in the City of Conover shall resume in even‑numbered years beginning in 2028 with the same staggering of terms as when elections were conducted in the odd‑numbered years.

CITY OF HICKORY

SECTION 5.(a)  Section 2.01 of the Charter of the City of Hickory, being Chapter 323 of the 1961 Session Laws, as amended by Chapter 404 of the 1967 Session Laws, reads as rewritten:

Sec. 2.01. Composition, Election, and Terms of Mayor and City Council; Time of General Election. (a)  The voters of the city shall elect a mayor and six aldermen. council members. The mayor shall be nominated and elected at large. The aldermen council members shall be nominated by wards and elected at large. The candidate from each ward receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. Except as is otherwise provided in this Charter, no two aldermen council members shall be residents of the same ward. All municipal elections shall be nonpartisan.

(b)        A general municipal election shall be held on the first Monday in June of 1967, and on the first Monday in June of 1968. In 1970, and biennially thereafter, the general municipal election shall be held on the first Monday in June.Regular municipal elections shall be held at the time of the general election in each even‑numbered year. The mayor and council members shall be elected on a nonpartisan plurality basis and the results determined in accordance with G.S. 163‑292. Except as otherwise provided, the elections for the City of Hickory shall be held and conducted in accordance with the uniform municipal election laws in Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.

(c)        The terms of all council members shall begin at the day and hour prescribed by Section 3.03 of this Charter for the taking of the oath of office, and shall run for a period of four years, except for member's interim terms of three years for the next election of aldermen of the fourth, fifth, and sixth wards. This Section shall apply to elections coming in 1967. Members shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified. In the event that it is not possible otherwise to determine which of two or more persons should be considered a hold‑over alderman, decision shall be made by lot between the aldermen who are willing to serve, the lots to be cast under the supervision of the mayor and the remaining qualified aldermen.The mayor shall be elected for a term of four years. The terms of office of council members shall be four‑year staggered terms.

SECTION 5.(b)  No municipal elections shall be conducted in the City of Hickory in 2027. The terms of office for the three council members in the City of Hickory serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2027 shall be extended by one year. The terms of office for the mayor and three council members in the City of Hickory serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2029 shall be extended by one year. Regular municipal elections in the City of Hickory shall resume in even‑numbered years beginning in 2028 with the same staggering of terms as when elections were conducted in the odd‑numbered years.

TOWN OF LONG VIEW

SECTION 6.(a)  Section 3 of the Charter of the Town of Long View, being Chapter 430 of the Private Laws of 1907, as amended by Chapter 131 of the Private Laws of 1929, Chapter 789 of the 1955 Session Laws, and Motion of Town Board of Aldermen Meeting on January 3, 1978, reads as rewritten:

Sec. 3.      Town Elections.

(a)        The governing body for the Town of Long View shall consist of a mayor and six aldermen. The mayor shall be nominated and elected by the voters at large for a four‑year term and shall serve until a successor is elected and qualified. Each ward of the Town of Long View shall be represented on the board of aldermen by one alderman, who must be a resident of that ward and nominated and elected by that ward. The aldermen shall serve four‑year staggered terms and until their successors are elected and qualified.

The Town of Long View shall be divided into five wards as follows:

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(b)        Regular municipal elections shall be held at the time of the general election in each even‑numbered year. The mayor and aldermen shall be elected on a nonpartisan plurality basis and the results determined in accordance with G.S. 163‑292. Except as otherwise provided, the elections for the Town of Long View shall be held and conducted in accordance with the uniform municipal election laws in Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.

SECTION 6.(b)  No municipal elections shall be conducted in the Town of Long View in 2027. The terms of office for the three aldermen in the Town of Long View serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2027 shall be extended by one year. The terms of office for the mayor and three aldermen in the Town of Long View serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2029 shall be extended by one year. Regular municipal elections in the Town of Long View shall resume in even‑numbered years beginning in 2028 with the same staggering of terms as when elections were conducted in the odd‑numbered years.

TOWN OF MAIDEN

SECTION 7.(a)  Section 4 of the Charter of the Town of Maiden, being Chapter 103 of the Private Laws of 1883, as amended by Chapter 445 of the 1955 Session Laws, Town Ordinance No. 3‑76 adopted on April 5, 1976, and Ordinance No. 11‑2006 adopted on April 3, 2006, reads as rewritten:

Section 4. Elections.

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(b) Elections shall be conducted on the first Tuesday of November in odd-numbered even‑numbered years as provided by the Laws of North Carolina.

(c) Election of the Mayor and Council shall be on a nonpartisan plurality basis and the following rules shall be utilized in determining those elected: (1) When more than one person is seeking election to a single office, the candidate who receives the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. (2) When more persons are seeking election to two or more offices (constituting a group) than there are offices to be filled, those candidates receiving the highest number of votes equal in number to the number of offices to be filled, shall be declared elected. (3) If two or more candidates receiving the highest number of votes each receive the same number of votes, the board of elections shall determine the winner by lot.results determined in accordance with G.S. 163‑292. Except as otherwise provided, the elections for the Town of Maiden shall be held and conducted in accordance with the uniform municipal election laws in Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.

(d) The term of office for the Mayor shall be two (2) years.

(e) The term of office for the Council shall be determined as follows: (1) Election in 1975 to provide that the two candidates receiving the first and second largest number of votes to serve four-year terms; (2) Election in 1975 to provide that the three candidates receiving the third, fourth, and fifth largest number of votes to serve two-year terms; (3) Election in 1977 to provide that the two candidates receiving the first and second largest number of votes to serve four-year terms; (4) Election in 1977 to provide that the candidate receiving the third largest number of votes to serve a two-year term; (5) Election in all odd-numbered years after 1977 to provide that staggered such that during the regular municipal election in each even‑numbered year, three council members shall be elected with the two candidates receiving the first and second largest number of votes to serve four‑year terms; terms and the candidate receiving the third largest number of votes to serve a two‑year term.

SECTION 7.(b)  No municipal elections shall be conducted in the Town of Maiden in 2027. The terms of office for the mayor and two council members in the Town of Maiden serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2027 shall be extended by one year. The terms of office for three council members in the Town of Maiden serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2029 shall be extended by one year. Regular municipal elections in the Town of Maiden shall resume in even‑numbered years beginning in 2028 with the same staggering of terms as when elections were conducted in the odd‑numbered years.

CITY OF NEWTON

SECTION 8.(a)  Article III of the Charter of the City of Newton, being Chapter 1042 of the 1989 Session Laws, as amended by City Ordinance No. 2002.29 adopted on July 10, 2002, reads as rewritten:

ARTICLE III. GOVERNING BODY.

Section 3.1.  Structure of Governing Body; Number of Members.  The Governing Body of the City of Newton is the Board of Aldermen, City Council, which has six members, and the Mayor.

Section 3.2.  Manner of Election of Board. Council.  The qualified voters of the entire City elect the members of the Board.Council.

Section 3.3.  Term of Office of Members of the Board. Council.  Members of the Board Council are elected to four‑year staggered terms. In 1991 and each four years thereafter, three members of the Board shall be elected. In 1993 and each four years thereafter, three members of the Board shall be elected.

Section 3.4.  Election of Mayor; Term of Office.  The qualified voters of the entire City elect the Mayor. A new Mayor shall be elected in 1991 and each two years thereafter.Mayor who shall serve a four‑year term.

SECTION 8.(b)  Section 4.1 of the Charter of the City of Newton, being Chapter 1042 of the 1989 Session Laws, reads as rewritten:

Section 4.1.  Conduct of City Elections.  Regular municipal elections shall be held at the time of the general election in each even‑numbered year. City officers shall be elected on a nonpartisan basis and the results determined by plurality, as provided by G.S. 163‑292.

SECTION 8.(c)  No municipal elections shall be conducted in the City of Newton in 2027. The terms of office for the mayor and three council members in the City of Newton serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2027 shall be extended by one year. The terms of office for the three council members in the City of Newton serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2029 shall be extended by one year. Regular municipal elections in the City of Newton shall resume in even‑numbered years beginning in 2028 with the same staggering of terms as when elections were conducted in the odd‑numbered years.

EFFECTIVE DATE

SECTION 9.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held on or after that date.