A. The employee relations officer shall arrange for a secret ballot election to be conducted by a party agreed to by the employee relations officer and the concerned employee organization(s), in accordance with its rules and procedures subject to the provisions of this chapter. All employee organizations who have duly submitted petitions which have been determined to be in conformance with Sections 2.52.040 through 2.52.100 of this chapter shall be included on the ballot. The choice of “no organization” shall also be included on the ballot. Employees entitled to vote in such election shall be those persons employed in regular, permanent positions within the designated appropriate unit who were employed during the pay period immediately prior to the date which ended at least fifteen days before the date the election commences, including those who did not work during such period because of illness, vacation or other authorized leaves of absence, and who are employed by the town in the same unit on the date of the election. An employee organization shall be formally acknowledged as the recognized employee organization for the designated appropriate unit following an election or run-off election if it received a numerical majority of all valid votes cast in the election. If an election involving three or more choices, where none of the choices receives a majority of the valid votes cast, a run-off election shall be conducted between the two choices receiving the largest number of valid votes cast; the rules governing an initial election being applicable to a run-off election.

B. There shall be no more than one valid election under this chapter pursuant to any petition in the twelve-month period affecting the same unit.

C. In the event that the parties are unable to agree on a third party to conduct an election, the election shall be conducted by the American Arbitration Association.

D. Costs of conducting elections shall be borne in equal shares by the town and by each employee organization appearing on the ballot. (Ord. 377 § 6, 1980)