§ 1. Council: Created, number of councilmen, wards.

There shall be a council of nine (9) members which shall consist of the mayor as ex officio councilmember-at-large and two (2) councilmembers from each of the four (4) wards of the city. Of the two (2) councilmembers from each ward, one (1) shall be elected at large by the registered votes of the city; the other council member shall be elected by the registered voters residing in the ward. The council, by ordinance, shall divide the city into four (4) wards and may change the wards and ward boundaries to correct for inequities in population. However, such a review of boundaries shall occur within two (2) years following the national census certification, or following annexation or deannexation of land. The wards shall be as nearly equal in population as practicable, and shall be numbered from one to four. The following terms limits shall apply to members of the council and mayor; the mayor may serve four (4) consecutive terms in office, a council member may serve three (3) consecutive terms in office, if the mayor also served a council member the total number of combined consecutive years in office as both mayor and council member shall not exceed sixteen (16). A member of council or the mayor who has completed the maximum consecutive years in office, as setout above, may again run for elective office as a councilmember or mayor after setting out a complete term, four (4) years. The years served by any councilmember elected or appointed to serve less than a full term to fill a vacancy in office shall not be included in the limitation set forth in this section so long as the term for which the councilmember is elected or appointed to serve is less than two (2) years in length. A councilmember elected or appointed to fill a vacancy in office for an unexpired term of two (2) years or more shall be considered to have served a full four-year term for the purposes of the limitation set forth in this section. The limitation set forth in this section shall take effect on passage and shall apply to councilmembers in office on that date with any prior consecutive years in office being applied toward the limitation set forth in this section and governed by the terms of this section.