A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to require that all members of the Jacksonville city council be elected at‑large.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Section 2‑8 of the Charter of the City of Jacksonville, being Chapter 911 of the 1967 Session Laws, as amended by City Ordinance No. 89‑21 adopted on April 26, 1989, and City Ordinance No. 06‑59 adopted on November 21, 2006, reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 2‑8. – Election of mayor and council – Generally.
At a regular election to be held by the Onslow County Board of Elections on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, there shall be elected a mayor and six Council Members, all of whom shall reside within the city and who shall run and be elected 
at‑large by the qualified voters of the entire City of Jacksonville. The mayor shall serve a four‑year term and until a successor is elected and qualified. Council Members shall serve four‑year staggered terms and until their successors are elected and qualified."
SECTION 2.  This act shall not affect the filling of a vacancy that occurs for the officers in the City of Jacksonville for a seat elected prior to the effective date of this act. Any person appointed to fill a vacancy for a Council Member seat representing a ward shall be a resident of the ward in which the vacancy occurs.
SECTION 3.  Section 1 of this act becomes effective at the time of the organizational meeting held in accordance with G.S. 160A‑68 in December 2027. In order to implement Section 1 of this act, the 2027 elections shall be conducted as if the provisions of this section were already in effect. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held on or after that date.