North Carolina SB 1077: City of New Bern Even-Year Elections.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 1077

Short Title: City of New Bern Even-Year Elections. (Local)
Sponsors: Senator Brinson (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
May 6, 2026
*S1077-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO CHANGE THE TIMING AND MANNER OF REGULAR MUNICIPAL 2
ELECTIONS FOR THE CITY OF NEW BERN. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. Section 3.1 of the Charter of the City of New Bern, being S.L. 2016-41, 5
reads as rewritten: 6
"Section 3.1. Method of election. Regular municipal elections shall be held in the City every 7
four years in odd-numbered even-numbered years, and shall be conducted in accordance with 8
general laws of the State governing municipal elections. The Mayor and members of the Board 9
of Aldermen shall be elected according to the nonpartisan election and runoff plurality method, 10
as provided in G.S. 163-293.G.S. 163-292. In the event of a vacancy on the Board of Aldermen, 11
a special election shall take place if the vacancy is not filled within 90 days of the beginning of 12
the vacancy. This special election shall be conducted pursuant to the Charter of the City of New 13
Bern and G.S. 163-287. The final date that an appointment may be made by the Board of 14
Aldermen to fill the vacancy is 12 o'clock noon local time on the first day of candidate filing for 15
the next available election, as set by Chapter 163 of the General Statutes, provided that the first 16
day of candidate filing for the next available election is not less than 90 days from the beginning 17
of the vacancy. If no appointment is made by the Board of Aldermen to fill the vacancy before 18
the deadline set by Chapter 163 of the General Statutes, the vacancy shall be filled by the 19
candidate receiving the highest number of votes in the special election. A special election shall 20
not be required if the date on which it would be held is the same date as the regular municipal 21
election." 22
SECTION 2. No municipal elections shall be conducted in the City of New Bern in 23
2029. The terms of office of the mayor and all aldermen set to expire in 2029 shall be extended 24
by one year, and regular municipal elections shall be conducted in 2030 and every four years 25
thereafter. 26
SECTION 3. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 27
elections held on or after January 1, 2030. 28