4. Where the members of the municipal council in any municipality adopting the municipal manager form of government have 4-year terms of office pursuant to R.S. 40:81-5, the legal voters of the municipality, by petition and referendum, may provide that the terms of office of the members of the municipal council shall expire in staggered years as provided in this section.

a. An election upon the proposition to elect members of the municipal council to terms of office which expire in staggered years shall be ordered by the municipal council upon the submission of a petition signed by a number of the legal voters of the municipality equal to not less than 15% of the total votes cast in the municipality at the last preceding election at which members of the General Assembly were elected. The proposition shall be submitted at the next general election. The proposition shall not be submitted more than once in any 3-year period;

b. The signatures, verification, authentication, inspection, certification, amendment and submission of the petition shall be the same as for petitions to recall councilmen and shall be filed and certified to by the municipal clerk at least 60 days before the general election at which the proposition shall be submitted to a vote;

c. The question of the election of members of the municipal council to staggered terms of office shall be submitted to the voters at such election in substantially the following form:

“Shall the terms of office of members of the municipal council of ………………..(name of municipality) expire in staggered years?”

d. A canvass and return of the vote upon the proposition shall be made by the election officers in the same manner as for officers voted for at the election, and a majority of all the votes cast upon the proposition in favor of the proposition shall be sufficient to make the change;

e. When the legal voters shall have voted to have the terms of office of members of the municipal council expire in staggered years, there shall be elected at the next regular municipal election of councilmen the following:

(1) If the municipal council consists of three members, two of the members shall be elected for 4 years, and one for 2 years, the respective terms of each to be designated on the ballot;

(2) If the municipal council consists of five members, two of the members shall be elected for 4 years, and three for 2 years, the respective terms of each to be designated on the ballot;

(3) If the municipal council consists of seven members, three of the members shall be elected for 4 years, and four for 2 years, the respective terms of each to be designated on the ballot;

(4) If the municipal council consists of nine members, four of the members shall be elected for 4 years, and five for 2 years, the respective terms of each to be designated on the ballot.

Each council member elected thereafter shall serve for a 4-year term of office.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, an ordinance proposed by petition to increase or decrease the term of office of the members of the governing body or the number of members of the governing body, or the division of the municipality into a number of wards, shall not be submitted to the voters of the municipality more than once in any 10-year period.

L.1981, c.427, s.4; amended 2009, c.339, s.8.