{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-67c.103","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 67C.103","heading":"Consolidated local government council -- Council districts -- Redistricting","body":"following decennial census -- Terms, qualifications, and election of members\nand president -- Regular and special meetings -- Notice requirements --\nOrdinances -- Vacancies -- Legislative powers -- Legal counsel -- Government\nOversight and Audit Committee -- Overriding board's rules -- Name of\ncouncil.\n(1) The legislative authority of a consolidated local government, except as otherwise\nspecified in KRS 6 7C.101 to 67C.137, shall be vested in a consolidated local\ngovernment council. The members of the council shall be nominated and elected by\ndistrict. There shall be only one (1) council member elected from each council\ndistrict.\n(2) There shall be twenty -six (26) council districts. The initial boundaries, population,\nand numerical designation of the council districts shall be as specified by KRS\n67C.135. The population of the council districts shall be as nearly equal as is\nreasonably possible. Any changes made to alter the boundaries of council districts\nshall be based on the population of the county as determined by the most recent\nUnited States Census or official census estimates as provided by the United States\nBureau of the Census.\n(3) Following the off icial publication of each decennial census by the United States\nBureau of the Census for the area embraced by a consolidated local government, the\ncouncil shall adopt an ordinance, if necessary, to redistrict the council districts. A\nredistricting ordinance shall ensure that the districts in the redistricting plan:\n(a) Not vary from the ideal population by more or less than two and one -half\npercent (2.5%);\n(b) Contain no divided precincts throughout the entirety of the county unless the\ndivision of a precin ct is required to conform to paragraph (a) of this\nsubsection and any applicable law regarding population requirements;\n(c) Not be drawn in a manner as to contain two (2) or more actively serving\ncouncil persons in the same district, except at the request of an affected\nincumbent;\n(d) Not be drawn in a manner so that the new district excludes the residence of an\nactively serving council person;\n(e) Are compact and contiguous; and\n(f) Respect existing neighborhood, community, and city boundaries whenever\npossible.\n(4) The consolidated local government council members shall serve for a term of four\n(4) years beginning on the first Monday in January following their election, except\nthat the initial election of council members shall be in a manner as to provide  for\nstaggered terms for council members. At the initial election of the members of a\nconsolidated local government council, those representing even -numbered districts\nshall be elected for a two (2) year term. Those representing odd -numbered districts\nshall be elected for a four (4) year term. Thereafter, all council members shall be\nelected for four (4) year terms.\n(5) The members of a consolidated local government council shall be nominated and\nelected from the district in which they reside in nonpartisan elections. After the\ninitial terms of office of the first elected council members, council members shall\nbe elected in the same election years as other local government officials as\nregulated by the regular election laws of the Commonwealth and as provided in\nsubsection (4) of this section.\n(6) No person shall be eligible to serve as a member of a consolidated local government\ncouncil unless he or she is at least eighteen (18) years old, a qualified voter, and a\nresident within the territory of the consolidated local government and the district\nthat he or she seeks to represent for at least one (1) year immediately prior  to the\nperson's election. A council member shall continue to reside within the district from\nwhich he or she was elected throughout the term of office.\n(7) The presiding officer of a consolidated local government council shall be a\npresident who shall be chosen annually by a majority vote of the entire council from\namong its members at the first meeting of the council in January. The council\npresident has the right to introduce any resolution or recommend any ordinance and\nshall be entitled to vote on all matters.\n(8) The consolidated local government council shall upon notice meet within seven (7)\ndays after its members have taken office, and shall thereafter hold at least one (1)\nregular meeting per month. No newspaper notice shall be required for regular  or\nspecial meetings of the consolidated local government council. However, notice of\nall meetings of the council and all meetings of committees of the council shall be\nheld pursuant to KRS 61.805 to 61.850.\n(9) A majority of the members of the consolidate d local government council shall\nconstitute a quorum, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day. The\nconsolidated local government council may enforce the attendance of members by\nrules or ordinances with appropriate fines. The mayor or two -thirds ( 2/3) of the\nentire membership of the council may call a special meeting at any time. Meetings\nshall be held in such places in the county as are provided by ordinance, and the\nplace of meetings shall not be changed except by an ordinance for which two -thirds\n(2/3) of the members of the consolidated local government council have voted.\n(10) The council shall determine its own rules and order of business, and keep and\nprovide a public record of its proceedings. The council shall provide for the\npublication of all ordinances in a composite code of ordinances. The council's rules\nshall not prohibit the filing of legislation that comports with the form requirements\nof KRS 83A.060(1), (2), and (3).\n(11) Council ordinances that prescribe penalties for their violatio n shall be enforced\nthrough the entire area of the consolidated local government unless:\n(a) Otherwise provided by statute; or\n(b) The legislative body of any city within the consolidated local government area\nhas adopted an ordinance pertaining to the sam e subject matter that is the\nsame as or more stringent than the standards set forth in the consolidated local\ngovernment's ordinance.\n(12) (a) In the case of a vacancy on the consolidated local government council by\nreason of death, resignation, or removal , a nonpartisan election shall be held\nto fill the unexpired term, unless paragraph (c) of this subsection applies. The\ncounty clerk shall be responsible for administering the election. The election\nshall proceed as follows:\n1. The presiding officer of the council shall declare the position vacant and\nissue a writ of election within twenty -four (24) hours of the occurrence\nof the vacancy;\n2. The writ shall be signed by the presiding officer, shall designate the day\nfor holding the election, and shall be delivered to the sheriff;\n3. Candidates for the unexpired term shall file petitions of nomination with\nthe county clerk not later than ten (10) days following the declaration of\nvacancy. The election shall be held sixty (60) days after the declaration\nof vacancy on the next Tuesday which is not a federal holiday under 5\nU.S.C. sec. 6103(a), unless paragraph (b) of this subsection applies. The\npetition for nomination shall contain the signatures of two (2) registered\nvoters of the council district and shall mee t the requirements of KRS\n118.315(2); and\n4. The successful candidate elected to fill an unexpired term in the office\nof consolidated local government council member shall take office\nimmediately upon certification of the election results and administratio n\nof the oath of office.\n(b) If the unexpired term will not end on the first Monday in January following\nthe next regular election, and if less than three (3) months intervene before\nthat regular election, the unexpired term shall be filled on the date set  for the\nregular election. Candidates for full terms shall be grouped together, and\ncandidates for unexpired terms shall be grouped together, under appropriate\nheadings, so that the voter may easily distinguish the candidates for full terms\nfrom the candidates for unexpired terms.\n(c) If the unexpired term will end on the first Monday in January following the\nnext regular election, and if less than three (3) months intervene before that\nregular election, the presiding officer of the council shall appoint a qualified\nperson to fill the vacancy and serve the remainder of the term.\n(d) The order of the names on the ballot for the candidates shall be determined by\nlot at a public drawing to be held in the office of the county clerk at 4 p.m.,\nstandard time, ten (10) days following the declaration of vacancy.\n(13) All legislative powers of a consolidated local government are vested in the\nconsolidated local government council. The term \"legislative power\" is to be\nconstrued broadly and shall include the power to:\n(a) Enact ordinances, orders, and resolutions, and override a veto of the mayor by\na two-thirds (2/3) majority of the membership of the legislative council;\n(b) Review the budgets of and appropriate money to the consolidated local\ngovernment;\n(c) Adopt a budget ordinance;\n(d) Levy taxes, subject to the limitations of the Constitution and the laws of the\nCommonwealth of Kentucky;\n(e) Establish standing and temporary committees; and\n(f) Make independent audits and investigations concerning the affairs of the\nconsolidated local government and any board or commission that:\n1. Is composed of members who are appointed by the mayor and approved\nby the legislative council; or\n2. Has a budget that is equal to or greater than one million dollars\n($1,000,000.00), except that this subparagraph shall not apply to any fee\nofficer elected within the consolidated local government.\n(14) The consolidated local government council, or either of its two (2) major political\ncaucuses, may hire or retain legal counsel for advice and consultation or to prepare\nor review legislation. The legal counsel may provide an opinion on the legality or\nconstitutionality of any legislative action, but that opi nion shall only be an advisory\nopinion.\n(15) (a) The consolidated local government council shall establish a Government\nOversight and Audit Committee. This committee shall be:\n1. Composed of members from each of the two (2) largest political\ncaucuses in the legislative council;\n2. Appointed by the chairs of their respective caucuses; and\n3. Composed on the basis of the proportion of each of the two (2) caucuses'\ntotal membership as compared to the total membership of the legislative\ncouncil. Any fractional proportions shall be rounded in the favor of the\nsmallest caucus' membership on the committee.\n(b) The committee shall have the power to:\n1. Compel testimony and the submission of work papers or documents;\n2. Issue subpoenas to compel any officer, appointe e, or former officer or\nappointee to a board or commission described in subsection (13)(f) of\nthis section or any department or division of the consolidated local\ngovernment to appear before the committee and to compel the\nsubmission to the committee of an y work papers or documents pertinent\nto an independent audit or investigation. Any subpoenas issued or\ntestimony compelled shall be subject to any relevant statutes concerning\nprivacy. Testimony subject to KRS 61.810 shall only be taken in\nexecutive session. The right to privacy or the requirement that testimony\nbe taken in executive session may be waived by the person or entity\nbeing subpoenaed or compelled to testify;\n3. Petition the appropriate Circuit Court to compel obedience by\nproceedings for contemp t as in the case of disobedience of a subpoena\nissued from the Circuit Court or a refusal to testify therein, if any officer\nor appointee fails or refuses to testify or furnish the work papers or\ndocuments subpoenaed;\n4. Administer oaths to witnesses appea ring before the committee when the\ncommittee deems the administration of an oath necessary and advisable\nas provided by law. This decision to administer oaths shall be taken by a\nmajority vote of the committee of the legislative council; and\n5. Recommend t he removal of any appointee to a board or commission\ndescribed in subsection (13)(f) of this section.\n(c) The legislative council of the consolidated local government shall adopt by\nresolution any process or procedures deemed necessary for the administrati on\nof subpoenas and oaths.\n(d) The legislative council of the consolidated local government may only act to\nremove an appointee to a board or commission described in subsection (13)(f)\nof this section upon the recommendation of the Government Oversight and\nAudit Committee.\n(e) The Government Oversight and Audit Committee shall have the power to\nissue subpoenas or administer oaths. Except as provided in KRS 65.003(7),\nthe legislative council of the consolidated local government shall not delegate\nthose powers to any other entity or entities not a part of the legislative council\nof the consolidated local government.\n(16) Any regulation, rule, or other similar action issued:\n(a) By a board that is operating under KRS Chapter 109 or 212; and\n(b) That applies to individuals residing or businesses operating within the\njurisdiction of the consolidated local government as it relates to the conduct of\nthe individuals or businesses;\nmay be reviewed and overridden by an adopted resolution of the consolidated local\ngovernment council within forty -five (45) days of the issuance of the regulation,\nrule, or similar action.\n(17) The consolidated local government council shall be known as the legislative council\nof ...................../................... County Metro Govern ment, which shall be a\ncombination of the names of the largest city in existence in the county on the date\nof the adoption of the consolidated local government and the county.","path":["KRS Chapter 67C"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57991","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:49:29Z","sha256":"fa2cde3c329f9d90e11d27bc2ddf51b794c8c839bb620d027ab3c15315ce21a7","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-67c.101","next":"us-ky/krs-67c.104"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}