§ 816 — Election of members of council where wards abolished

(a) Abolishing.--If council, by ordinance, abolishes all wards in a borough, the ordinance shall provide for the election of seven members of council at large for the borough in a manner as not to interfere with the terms of those ward members of council previously elected. If there were previously:

(1) Seven members of council, the ordinance shall provide that, at the first municipal election, the electors shall elect three or four members of council, as the case may be, the number to be elected shall be that which, when added to the number of members of council already in office whose terms are not about to expire, shall bring the membership of the council to seven. The newly elected members of council shall serve for terms of four years from the first Monday of January following the first municipal election, except that, in any case where the election of four members of council shall be required to bring the membership of council to its full complement of seven and only three members of council are elected at the municipal election in the other boroughs of the Commonwealth not divided into wards, three members of council shall be elected for four-year terms and one for a two-year term. At every succeeding municipal election, the electors shall elect three or four members of council, as the case may be, each to serve for a term of four years from the first Monday of January following the municipal election.

(2) Eight or more members of council, the ordinance shall provide that, at the first municipal election, the electors shall elect a sufficient number of members of council that, when added to the number of members of council already in office whose terms are not about to expire, will bring the membership of the council to seven. The following shall apply:

(i) The newly elected members of council shall serve for terms of four years from the first Monday of January following the first municipal election. At the second municipal election after the effective date of the ordinance, the electors shall elect a sufficient number of members of council, that, when added to the number of members of council elected at the previous municipal election, shall bring the membership of council to its full complement of seven. Some of the members of council elected at the second municipal election shall serve for a four-year term following the first Monday of January following the municipal election, and the remainder shall serve for a two-year term, in an amount to bring the number to be elected in the borough in succeeding municipal elections into conformity with the number elected in the other boroughs of the Commonwealth not divided into wards.

(ii) In the third and all subsequent municipal elections following the effective date of the ordinance, the electors shall elect three or four members of council, as the case may be, each to serve for a term of four years from the first Monday of January following the municipal election.

(iii) In any borough in which, under the ward system of electing members of council, there shall be seven or more members of council whose terms shall not expire on the first Monday of January following the first municipal election after the effective date of the ordinance, no members of council shall be elected at the first municipal election, and the members of council remaining in office shall constitute the council until the first Monday of January following the second municipal election following the effective date of the ordinance.

(iv) At the second municipal election, seven members of council shall be elected in the borough, some to serve for a four-year term of office from the first Monday of January following the second municipal election, and the remainder to serve for a two-year term, in an amount to bring the number of members of council to be elected in the borough in succeeding elections into conformity with the number elected in other boroughs of the Commonwealth not divided into wards.

(v) At the third and all subsequent municipal elections following the effective date of the ordinance, the electors shall elect three or four members of council, as the case may be, each to serve for a term of four years from the first Monday of January following the subsequent municipal election.

(3) Six or fewer members of council, the ordinance shall provide that, at the first municipal election, the electors shall elect a sufficient number of members of council that, when added to the number of members of council already in office whose terms are not about to expire, shall bring the membership of council to its full complement of seven. Of the newly elected members of council, either three or four, as necessary to bring the number of members of council to be elected in the borough in succeeding municipal elections into conformity with the number elected in other boroughs of the Commonwealth not divided into wards, shall be elected for four-year terms of office, beginning the first Monday of January following the first municipal election, and the balance shall be elected for two-year terms. At the second municipal election following the effective date of the ordinance and at all subsequent municipal elections, the electors shall elect three or four members of council, as the case may be, to serve for a term of four years from the first Monday of January following the subsequent municipal election.

(b) Vacancies.--At any time following the effective date of the ordinance, when a vacancy may occur in the office of a member of council originally elected or appointed from a particular ward, the individual appointed to fill the vacancy shall not be required to be a resident of the area formerly comprising the ward but shall be otherwise qualified for office as provided in section 801 (relating to eligibility).