2010 Wyoming Statutes
Title 15 - Cities And Towns
Chapter 11 - Municipal Election Provisions

CHAPTER 11 - MUNICIPAL ELECTION PROVISIONS

 

ARTICLE 1 - OFFICES AND TERMS

 

15-11-101. When offices filled.

 

The offices specified in this article shall be filled by the vote of the residents of a city or town at the general municipal election.

 

15-11-102. Officers of incorporated town; terms; how elected.

 

The elective officers of an incorporated town are one (1) mayor and four (4) councilmen. The term of office of mayor and councilman is four (4) years, and until his successor is qualified. They are elected at large.

 

15-11-103. Officers of first class city; terms; how elected.

 

The elective officers of a first class city, not including a city adopting the commission or city manager form of government, are a mayor and the number of councilmen determined by the governing body of the city when they provide for the number of wards in the city. The term of office of the mayor and a councilman is four (4) years and until his successor is qualified. The mayor shall be elected at large and the councilmen shall be elected at large or by wards or by a combination of at large and ward election districts. The governing body of the city shall determine by ordinance at the time wards are created or reorganized whether individual, multimember or at large election districts shall be provided. The districting system, as approved by the council to apply uniformly to the entire city, may provide individual member election districts, multimember election districts which do not exceed three (3) council members per district, or that a portion of the entire membership of the council not to exceed one-third (1/3) of the total members shall be elected from an at large district constituting the entire city. Once established, the districts, except to modify boundaries because of population changes and to encompass annexed territory, shall not be altered or amended more often than each ten (10) years or when the state reapportions.

 

15-11-104. Officers in city or town with commission government; term; how elected.

 

The elective officers of a city or town adopting the commission form of government are a mayor, a commissioner of finance and public property, and a commissioner of streets and public improvements. The term of the mayor is four (4) years and each commissioner is two (2) years and until his successor is qualified. They are elected at large.

 

15-11-105. Officers in city or town with city manager government; terms; legislative authority; method of selection; alternative method.

 

(a) The elective officers of a city or town adopting the city manager form of government are councilmen elected as provided by law. There shall be three (3) councilmen in cities and towns having a population of less than four thousand (4,000), seven (7) in those having a population of four thousand (4,000) or more but less than twenty thousand (20,000) and nine (9) in those having a population of twenty thousand (20,000) or more. The term of office of a councilman is four (4) years and until his successor is qualified. Legislative authority is vested in the council.

 

(b) Councilmen in a municipality adopting the city manager form of government shall be elected at large, unless a petition requesting an alternate method of selection by wards, or by a combination of wards and at large, is approved at a special election on the question by a majority vote of the electors voting on the question:

 

(i) Such petition shall be signed by not less than ten percent (10%) of the qualified electors registered in the municipality;

 

(ii) If the petition is for a combination of wards and at large, it shall state the number of wards, the number of councilmen to be elected from each ward, and the number of councilmen to be elected at large. A petition seeking ward representation or combination of wards and at large shall contain the names of petitioners to serve on the ward boundary committee;

 

(iii) The petition shall be filed with the city clerk, who shall determine whether the petition is legally sufficient;

 

(iv) If the petition is legally sufficient, the question shall be submitted to the voters at a special municipal election and shall be in the following form:

 

1. Shall the city councilmen be elected at large? Yes No

 

2. Shall the city councilmen be elected by wards? Yes No

 

3. Shall the city councilmen be elected by a combination of wards and at large as follows:

 

(Here state the method of combination requested in the petition)

 

Yes No

 

(v) The method approved by a plurality vote shall be proclaimed adopted by the mayor. A copy of the proclamation shall be mailed to the county clerk and the secretary of state;

 

(vi) If representation by wards or a combination of wards and at large is adopted, ward boundaries shall be determined by a committee composed of the governing body and an equal number of petitioners designated in the petition, and adopted by ordinance of the governing body. The creation or elimination of wards shall take effect at the next regular municipal primary and general elections;

 

(vii) If an alternate method of selecting councilmen is not adopted at the special election, the question shall not be submitted to the voters within four (4) years after the election. If an alternate method of representation is adopted at the special election, the question of changing the method of representation shall not be submitted to the voters for ten (10) years after the special election.

 

15-11-106. Term of office subject to termination.

 

The term of any municipal elective office is subject to termination if a change of the form of municipal government necessitates a termination of an existing term of office.

 

ARTICLE 2 - TERMS OF OFFICE AFTER FIRST ELECTION

 

15-11-201. Councilmen in newly incorporated city or town.

 

At the first meeting of the council after the first election in a newly incorporated city or town, other than a first class city or municipality adopting the city manager or commission form of government, two (2) of the councilmen first elected shall be selected by lots to serve four (4) year terms and two (2) to serve two (2) year terms. At each subsequent general election, two (2) councilmen shall be elected to serve a four (4) year term.

 

15-11-202. Councilmen in first class city.

 

(a) At the first election in a city which has divided into wards two (2) or three (3) councilmen shall be elected from each ward for the following terms:

 

(i) If two (2) councilmen are elected from each ward, one (1) councilman shall serve a two (2) year term and one (1) councilman shall serve a four (4) year term;

 

(ii) If three (3) councilmen are elected from each ward, one (1) councilman shall serve a two (2) year term and two (2) councilmen shall serve a four (4) year term;

 

(iii) The terms of office shall be determined by lots cast by the council at its first meeting.

 

15-11-203. Municipality with commission government.

 

At the first election in a municipality adopting the commission form of government, the mayor shall be elected to serve a four (4) year term and all other officers shall be elected to serve a two (2) year term.

 

15-11-204. Municipality with city manager government.

 

At the first election in a municipality adopting the city manager form of government, a majority of the councilmen elected shall serve two (2) year terms and the balance of the councilmen elected shall serve four (4) year terms. The terms of office shall be determined by lots cast by the council at its first meeting.

 

15-11-205. Election of councilmen in city manager government having alternate method of representation.

 

At the first election in a city manager form municipality, after adopting an alternate method of representation, councilmen shall be elected equal in number to the number of council terms expiring. Offices expiring shall be filled by candidates from wards having the lowest number designation and not having a holdover member on the council. At the second election, candidates will be elected from wards not having holdover members. Councilmen shall be elected for the regular four (4) year term.

 

ARTICLE 3 - CHANGING FORM OF GOVERNMENT

 

15-11-301. Forms of government authorized; procedure for change.

 

 

(a) An incorporated city or town may adopt the commission or city manager form of government or other lawful form of government as follows:

 

(i) An incorporated city or town shall submit to the vote of the electors the question whether to change the form of government on the petition of qualified electors residing in the city or town equal in number to fifteen percent (15%) of the number of electors voting at the last preceding municipal general election;

 

(ii) A petition for a special election on the question of changing the form of government shall be filed with the city clerk at least one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the next regular municipal primary election;

 

(iii) A petition for change of the form of government may not be filed within four (4) years after the existing form of government was established;

 

(iv) When such petition is filed and determined by the city clerk to be legally sufficient, the mayor shall proclaim a special election on the question stating the present form of government, the proposed new form of government, and the time of the election. The proclamation shall be published at least once a week for four (4) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the city or town;

 

(v) The special election on the question of change of the form of government shall be held not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days after the petition is filed;

 

(vi) Such special election shall be conducted in the manner prescribed by W.S. 22-23-801 through 22-23-809;

 

(vii) If the majority of votes cast are in favor of the proposed new form of government, the municipality shall at the next municipal primary and general elections nominate and elect officers under the new form of government. When the officers are elected and qualified, the municipality shall be governed by the new form of government;

 

(viii) Immediately after the special election on the question of change of form of government, the mayor shall certify the result of the election to the county clerk and the secretary of state.

 

15-11-302. Rejection of change by voters.

 

If a change of form of government is rejected by the voters at the special election, the question shall not be resubmitted to the voters for a period of four (4) years following the special election.