Section 178.820

Title XI EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES

Chapter 178

Effective - 28 Aug 2015   

  178.820.  Trustees, election of — subdistricts — redistricting committees — trustee of subdistrict, residency requirements, qualifications — board of trustees, requirements, St. Louis City. — 1.  In the organization election, six trustees shall be elected at large throughout the entire proposed district.  The two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes shall be elected for terms of six years each, the two receiving the next greatest number of votes for terms of four years each, the two receiving the next greatest number of votes for terms of two years each, and such terms shall be effective until the first Tuesday in April coinciding with or next following such period of years, or until the successors to such trustees have been duly elected and qualified.  Thereafter, the trustees shall be elected for terms of six years each.

  2.  Following the initial election, the board of trustees may, at any duly called meeting, adopt a resolution calling for the formation of a redistricting committee to consider the formation of subdistricts within the community college district from which trustees are thereafter to be elected.  Upon adoption of any such resolution, the secretary of the board of trustees shall forward a certified copy thereof to the coordinating board for higher education with the request that a redistricting committee be appointed in order to divide the community college districts into at least two and not more than six subdistricts for the purpose of electing trustees.  The redistricting committee shall consist of three residents within the affected district, appointed by the board of trustees of the affected district, plus three additional persons residents within the affected district, appointed by the coordinating board for higher education.  Thereafter, the redistricting committee shall meet, organize itself with a chairman and secretary, and proceed with the adoption of a redistricting plan specifying at least two but not more than six subdistricts which are to the extent possible so apportioned on the basis of population that the population of any such subdistrict divided by the number of trustees to be selected therefrom substantially equals the population of any other subdistrict divided by the number of trustees to be selected therefrom.  The redistricting plan referred to herein, in lieu of requiring all trustees to be elected from subdistricts, may provide for the election of one or more trustees at large and the remainder from subdistricts, or for the election of all the trustees at large with the requirement that each must reside in a certain subdistrict, so long as in any plan adopted, subdistricts are apportioned as provided above.  Notwithstanding the above, the board of trustees of any community college district which contains more than four hundred fifty thousand residents shall, at the first duly called meeting following August 13, 1972, and thereafter within ninety days following the publication of the decennial census figures, adopt a resolution calling for the formation of a redistricting committee; and the redistricting committee shall adopt a redistricting plan specifying the establishment of not less than four nor more than six subdistricts compact and contiguous in territory and apportioned as provided above.

  3.  In any district which shall contain a city not within a county, if four subdistricts are established, then at least one subdistrict shall be within said city, and if five or six subdistricts are established, then at least two subdistricts shall be within said city.

  4.  Any person running for election as a trustee of a subdistrict shall be domiciled and a resident therein.  Any plan proposed to be adopted must receive approval of a majority of the whole redistricting committee.  Upon adoption the redistricting committee shall forward a copy of the plan certified by the secretary to the coordinating board for higher education for its approval or disapproval.  The coordinating board for higher education shall approve any redistricting plan in which the population of any subdistrict divided by the number of trustees to be selected therefrom substantially equals the population of any other subdistrict divided by the number of trustees to be elected therefrom.  Upon approval, the redistricting plan shall become effective and all trustees elected thereafter shall be required to be elected from subdistricts in which they are resident.  If the plan is not approved, then it shall be returned to the redistricting committee for revision and resubmission.  Until approval of a plan by the coordinating board for higher education, trustees of a district shall continue to run at large.  Upon approval of any plan, the board of trustees shall determine by resolution the assignment of trustees to subdistricts.  Any such assignment shall not affect the term of office of any such trustee.  Once a district has been divided into subdistricts in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall remain so divided until one year following the publication of the decennial census figures, by which date a new plan shall have been adopted or the trustees shall again be required to run in the district at large; provided, however, that if during the period between publications of decennial census figures the area of a district is increased or decreased, a new plan shall be adopted within one year thereafter or the trustees shall be required to run in the district at large.  No member of the redistricting committee shall serve on the board of trustees for a period of six years following his service on the redistricting committee.

  5.  Candidates for the office of trustee shall be citizens of the United States, at least twenty-one years of age, who have been voters of the district for at least one whole year preceding the election, and if trustees are elected other than at large they shall be voters of the subdistricts for at least one whole year next preceding the election.  All candidates for the first board of a district shall file their declaration of candidacy with the coordinating board for higher education.

  6.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this section or any other law to the contrary, the board of trustees of the community college district in any district that contains a city not within a county shall be composed of seven members, six of whom shall each be elected to a six-year term, and one at-large member who shall be appointed to a six-year term by the coordinating board for higher education, beginning with the board election occurring immediately after August 28, 2015, subject to the following procedures:

  (1)  The appointed member shall be a citizen of the United States, at least twenty-one years of age, and a registered voter of the district for at least one year preceding the appointment;

  (2)  No member, elected or appointed, shall be an employee of such community college district;

  (3)  Whenever a vacancy occurs in the appointed member's seat due to death, resignation, removal from the district, or by operation of law or otherwise, the coordinating board for higher education shall, in a like manner, appoint a competent person to fill such vacancy and shall communicate his or her action to the board secretary of the district.  Such appointed member shall hold office for the remainder of the unexpired term;

  (4)  If a board member is found by unanimous vote of the other board members to have moved his or her residence to a district other than the district from which such board member was appointed or elected, or to have violated a duly promulgated bylaw of the district, then the office of such board member shall be vacant;

  (5)  The board shall have the power to make such bylaws or ordinances, rules, and regulations as it may judge most expedient for the accomplishment of the trust reposed in it, for the government of its officers and employees, to secure its accountability, and to delegate its authority as it may deem necessary to such officers and employees or to committees appointed by the board;

  (6)  Except as specifically provided in this section, the appointment or election and term of office for members of the board, and all other duties and responsibilities of the board, shall comply with the provisions of state law regarding trustees of community college districts.

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(L. 1963 p. 200 § 13-82, A.L. 1972 H.B. 1169, A.L. 1978 H.B. 971, A.L. 2015 S.B. 104)

(Source: L. 1961 p. 357 § 5)