Section 3162 - Status and term of office of officials(a) Existing elected official.--Any elected municipal official in office at the time of the adoption of any optional plan provided by this subpart shall continue in office only until the new plan of government goes into effect as provided in section 3161 (relating to applicability of plan), except as otherwise provided in subsections (c) and (d).(b) Members of council.--At the municipal election next succeeding the adoption of one of the optional plans provided for in this subpart, if four or fewer council members are elected, they shall serve for terms of four years. If five are elected, the four successful candidates receiving the highest percentage of the votes cast for the office to which they are elected shall serve for terms of four years, and the candidate receiving the next highest percentage of votes shall serve for a term of two years. If six or more council members are elected, the five candidates receiving the highest percentage of the votes cast for the office to which they are elected shall serve for terms of four years, and the remaining successful candidates receiving the next highest percentage of votes shall serve for terms of two years. Thereafter, all council members shall be elected for terms of four years. Where the term of office for council members under the adopted plan is different from the term of office for council members under an existing form of government, the terms of office for council members so elected shall be established so that, at each subsequent municipal election at which council members are elected, the number of council members to be elected shall be as nearly equal as possible to the number of council members to be elected at every other regular municipal election at which council members are elected.(c) Treasurer, controller, district attorney and sheriff.--If an elected municipal treasurer or elected municipal controller, elected county district attorney or elected county sheriff is in office at the time of the adoption of an optional plan under the provisions of this subpart, a treasurer, controller, district attorney or sheriff, as the case may be, shall not be elected or appointed to take office until after the resignation, death, removal or expiration of the term of the incumbent in the office. At the expiration of the term of the incumbent, a treasurer, controller, district attorney or sheriff, as the case may be, shall be elected or appointed for the full term for the office as provided by the optional plan adopted.(d) Continuation of existing members of council in office.--Any member of a municipal governing body in office at the time of the adoption of an optional plan shall remain in office, continuing as an at-large or district council member, as the case may be, until the expiration of this term in office and shall receive the compensation provided by law at that time:(1) If that council member was elected on an at-large basis, the newly adopted optional plan provides for a total number of at-large council members equal to or exceeding the total number of at-large council members under the existing form of government.(2) If that council member was elected on a district basis, the district from which that council member was elected remains unchanged and continues to encompass the exact same geographical area under the newly adopted optional plan as under the existing form of government and the number of council members to be elected from that district under the newly adopted optional plan is equal to or exceeds the number elected from that district under the existing form of government. Any council member may, by writing filed with the municipal treasurer, direct that any portion of his annual compensation for serving in office be returned to the municipal treasury. For the purpose of this section, an executive or mayor who is also a member of the council under an existing plan shall be considered as a member of the council, and after the new plan goes into effect, his duties shall be only those of a member of council as prescribed by the new plan.
(e) Number of members of council to be elected.--At the municipal election next succeeding the adoption of one of the optional plans provided for in this subpart, the number of council members prescribed by the terms in the plan less the number of council members then in office whose terms do not expire on the first Monday of January next following, as may be determined by subsection (d), shall be elected.(f) Filling vacancies on council existing prior to election.--If there are vacancies in council occurring by reason of resignation, death or removal 90 days or more before the election, they shall be filled for the remainder of the term of the person originally elected to that office.1996, Dec. 19, P.L. 1158, No. 177, § 1, effective in 60 days.