§ 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.