Mo. Rev. Stat. § 78.080

This is the official text of Mo. Rev. Stat. § 78.080, part of Missouri’s Rev. Stat — part of the compiled statutory law of Missouri, published by the state as "Rev. Stat." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

78.080 Election of mayor and councilmen.

Official statutory text

78.080. Election of mayor and councilmen. — In every city having a population of over three thousand and under eight thousand there shall be elected at the first municipal election held after the taking effect of this section, and every four years thereafter, a mayor and two councilmen, except in any city with a population of at least five thousand within a third class county which adjoins three other third class counties and one second class county and the state of Arkansas, wherein the law applicable before August 28, 1991, shall continue to apply; and in cities having a population of over eight thousand and less than thirty thousand, a mayor and four councilmen. For cities with a population of at least eight thousand and under thirty thousand, the council shall be elected for the following terms: The mayor shall be elected for a four-year term. The councilmen shall be elected for four-year terms except that at the first election the candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall serve a four-year term, the candidate receiving the second highest number of votes shall serve a three-year term, the candidate receiving the third highest number of votes shall serve a two-year term and the candidate receiving the fourth highest number of votes shall serve a one-year term. If any vacancy occurs in such office, the remaining members of the council shall appoint a person to fill such vacancy during the balance of the unexpired term. Such officers shall qualify and their terms shall begin on the first Monday after their appointment. The terms of office of the mayor and councilmen or aldermen in such city in office at the beginning of the terms of office of the mayor and councilmen first elected under the provisions of this section shall then cease and the terms of office of all other city officers, whether elective or appointive, in force in each such city, except as otherwise provided, shall cease as soon as the council shall by resolution declare.

(RSMo 1939 § 7059, A.L. 1978 H.B. 971, A.L. 1980 H.B. 1819, A.L. 1983 H.B. 696, A.L. 1991 H.B. 532) Prior revisions: 1929 § 6909; 1919 § 8376

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Missouri?

Find a Missouri lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.