§ 3.1. Election, qualification and term of office.
A.
The Town of Gate City shall be governed by a town council, composed of a mayor and five other members, all of whom shall be qualified voters of the town.
B.
The five councilmen shall be elected at large by the qualified voters of the town and their term of office shall be for four years; subject, however, to provisions for the terms for the years 2012 and 2014. An election shall be held on the first Tuesday in May, 2012, to elect five members. Three members shall serve for the terms of four years from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2016 and thereafter until their successors have been elected and qualify; two members shall serve for terms of two years from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2014 and thereafter until their successors have been elected and qualify, being selected by determining the two members who have received the smallest number of votes during the May 2012 election. Thereafter, elections shall be held on the first Tuesday of May of each even-numbered year to fill the vacancies of the councilmen whose term of office expires in that year or to fill the vacancy of any member who has resigned or been removed from office during his term. The mayor and councilmen shall take office thereafter on July one of the year in which they have been elected.
C.
The mayor shall preside at meetings of the council and shall be recognized as head of the town government for ceremonial purposes and by the Governor for the purposes of military law. He shall vote only in cases where the votes of the council are evenly divided. (1999, c. 177)