All legislative power of the municipal corporation organized under sections 705.71 to 705.86, inclusive, of the Revised Code, shall be vested in a council of not less than five nor more than fifteen members. In municipal corporations of less than ten thousand population, members of the council shall be elected at large; in all others they shall be elected from wards or at large, as determined by the vote provided for in section 705.03 of the Revised Code. The term of office of such members shall be two years when the council is elected by wards, and four years when the council is elected at large. At the first election in municipal corporations having three councilmen, each of whom is elected at large, the candidates having the two highest number of votes shall serve for four years and the other councilman shall serve for two years. In municipal corporations having more than three councilmen, the majority of such councilmen who have the highest number of votes shall serve for a period of four years and the others shall serve for a period of two years.

When the council is elected by wards, the number of councilmen shall be in proportion to the population of the municipal corporation, as determined by the last preceding federal census as follows: a municipal corporation having not more than ten thousand inhabitants, five councilmen; more than ten thousand and not more than twenty-five thousand, seven councilmen; more than twenty-five thousand and not more than fifty thousand, nine councilmen; and for each twenty-five thousand inhabitants in excess of fifty thousand, the number shall be increased by one, but the total number of councilmen shall not exceed fifteen.

When the council is elected at large, the number of councilmen shall be in proportion to the population of the municipal corporation, as determined by the last preceding federal census, as follows: a municipal corporation having not more than ten thousand inhabitants, three councilmen; more than ten thousand and not more than twenty-five thousand, five councilmen; more than twenty-five thousand and not more than fifty thousand, seven councilmen; and for each twenty-five thousand inhabitants in excess of fifty thousand the number shall be increased by one, but the total number of councilmen shall not exceed nine.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953 .