2.496 Municipal Judge Termination for Cause.
(1) The municipal judge and judges pro tem shall be subject to removal by a two-thirds vote of the whole Council for cause. Cause is defined as follows:
(a) Death of judge;
(b) Adjudicated incompetence;
(c) Absence from the City for over 30 days without the Mayor’s consent;
(d) Conviction of any offense defined as a crime in the jurisdiction where committed;
(e) Declaration as a Habitual Traffic Offender in any state;
(f) Disbarment or suspension for any period of time of the judge’s license to practice law in any state;
(g) Adjudicated violation of the Oregon Code of Judicial Conduct;
(h) False statement in application for position as judge.
(2) Whenever the Mayor determines that there may be cause to terminate the judge, the Mayor shall mail a notice to the judge stating the reasons for the proposed termination, a brief summary of the evidence relied upon, and the procedure for the judge to dispute the proposed decision.
(3) The judge shall have ten (10) days from the date of the written notice to request a hearing before the City Council in order to dispute the proposed decision. If the Mayor does not receive a request for hearing within ten (10) days from the date of the notice, the City Council shall make a decision. If a timely request for a hearing is received, the Mayor shall notify the judge of the time and place of the hearing. The hearing may be held in executive session, or at the request of the judge, shall be heard in an open hearing. The hearing procedure shall be governed by Oregon Public Meetings Law. The City Council shall make a final decision in open session after considering all the evidence.