12-10a01.   Adoption of modified mayor-council form of government;submission to election; petition; election laws applicable.Any city may adopt the modified mayor-council form of government in themanner herein provided and shall thereafter be governed by the provisionsof this act. A proposition to adopt such form of government must firstbe submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of such city at any cityor state primary or general election. The governing body of said city maysubmit such proposition by resolution and must submit it upon the filingof a petition signed by at least ten percent (10%) of the qualifiedelectors of the city. The petition shall be headed "Petition for anelection of the city of ______________, Kansas, to vote on the adoption ofthe modified mayor-council form of government," shall be addressed to thegoverning body of the city, and be filed with the election officer of thecounty in which the city is located. Such petition shall conform to therequirements of article 36 of chapter 25 of the Kansas Statutes Annotatedand amendments thereto, and its sufficiency shall be determined in themanner therein provided and shall be certified to the city clerk by thecounty election officer. Upon the adoption of a resolution or thecertification of a petition as provided in this section, the governing bodyof the city shall submit the proposition at the next city or state primaryor general election, following by not less than sixty (60) days suchadoption or certification. Notice thereof shall be published in the mannerprovided by K.S.A. 25-105. The form of the ballots to be used at theelection shall be as follows:

      "Shall the city of ______________ adopt the modified mayor-council formof government and become a city operating under the general laws governingcities of like class?"

If a majority of the votes cast upon said proposition shall be in favorof adopting the modified mayor-council plan of government, then at the nextregular city election the mayor and members of the council hereinafterprovided for as constituting the governing body of the city shall beelectedas provided herein; and upon their election and qualification the rights,powers and duties of the commissioners or mayor and members of the councilof such city shall cease and terminate.

      Except as herein otherwise provided, the nomination and election of themayor and members of the council of said governing body shall be governedby the election laws then applicable to city primary and general elections.Candidates for member of the council from a district shall be residents ofthe district for which they seek election and qualified electors signing apetition for the candidacy of a member of the council for a district shallbe residents of such district. Only the qualified electors of a districtshall vote upon the office of member of the council from that district.

      History:   L. 1976, ch. 65, § 1; April 16.