§ 6-61-520 - Local boards -- Establishment -- Members.
6-61-520. Local boards -- Establishment -- Members.
(a) The local control of each community college shall be vested in a local board composed of nine (9) members who are residents and qualified electors of the community college district.
(b) (1) All members shall be elected for terms of six (6) years by the qualified electors of the community college district at the general election immediately preceding the expiration of the expiring terms, and the newly elected members shall take office on January 1 next following the date of their election.
(2) However, the election shall be held at the annual school election if the community college district is composed solely of one (1) or more entire school districts, other than any portion of the school district that is in another county, and whose boundary is contiguous with that portion of the school district that is located in the county in which the community college is located.
(c) (1) Candidates for membership on the local board shall run by position and shall be elected on a nonpartisan basis, and there shall be no mark or designation on the ballot indicating the party affiliation of the candidates. The names of the candidates for each position shall be arranged alphabetically on the ballot.
(2) Any person desiring to be a candidate for a position on the local board shall, not later than 12:00 noon of the seventieth day prior to the general or annual school election at which the position on the board is to be filled, file a notarized statement of such candidacy with the county clerk of each county of which any portion is in the community college district, in substantially the following form:
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(3) At the time of filing the statement of candidacy, the candidate shall pay a ballot fee of three dollars ($3.00) and shall file a petition containing the signatures of at least fifty (50) qualified electors of the district, requesting that the name of such person be placed on the ballot as a candidate for the position on the local board.
(4) (A) The county board of election commissioners of each county of which a portion is a part of the community college district shall certify the results of the election in that county to the local board of the community college.
(B) The local board of the community college shall officially canvass the returns, declare the candidate elected for each position, and make a record of the election upon its minutes.
(5) The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for each position on the local board to be filled at the election shall be elected to fill the particular position, and it shall not be necessary that the person elected receive a majority of all votes cast for all candidates for such position.
(d) (1) Vacancies on any local board due to death, resignation, or other causes shall be filled by appointment of the Governor.
(2) When the term of office in which the vacancy occurs expires on December 31 of the year in which the next general or annual school election is to be held, the person appointed by the Governor shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
(3) When the term of office in which the vacancy occurs extends beyond December 31 of the year in which the next general or annual school election is to be held, the person appointed by the Governor shall serve only until the general or annual school election, at which election a person shall be elected by the qualified electors of the district to fill the remainder of the unexpired term.
(4) When a vacancy occurs, the local board shall officially recognize that the vacancy exists, enter the recognition of the vacancy upon its minutes, and notify the Governor, requesting that he or she make an appointment to fill the vacancy as provided by law.
(5) The Governor shall officially notify the local board of his or her appointment of the new member, which the local board shall enter upon its minutes.