South Carolina General Assembly
103rd Session, 1979-1980

Bill 3436

                    Current Status

Bill Number:               3436
Ratification Number:       594
Act Number                 487
Introducing Body:          House
Subject:                   Relating to election of county council
                           members
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(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A487, R594, H3436)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 4-9-90, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO ELECTION OF COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THE COUNCIL MAY BY ORDINANCE CHANGE TERMS OF OFFICE FROM TWO YEARS TO FOUR-YEAR STAGGERED TERMS SUBJECT TO REFERENDUM APPROVAL AND PROVIDE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH ORDINANCES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Council may change terms

Section 1. Section 4-9-90 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by an act of 1980 bearing ratification number 308, is further amended by adding at the end:

"In any county in which terms of county council members are for two years only, the council may by ordinance change such terms to four-year staggered terms but such ordinance shall not become effective until approved by a favorable vote of the qualified electors of the county voting in a referendum conducted for that purpose. In the event the referendum is conducted at the time of the general election in which council members are elected, and the vote is favorable on the ordinance, the terms of council members shall automatically be changed to four-year terms except that of those elected in that general election one half plus one of such members who receive the highest vote shall serve four-year terms and the remaining members elected shall serve terms of two years only."

Time effective

Section 2. This act shall take effect upon approval by the Governor.