This Charter shall constitute the basic law of the City of Holland, subject only to the constitution and general laws of the State of Michigan and of the United States of America.
All ordinances, resolutions, rules, and regulations of the City of Holland, which are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter and which are in force and effect on the effective date of this Charter shall continue in full force and effect until repealed or amended.
All legislation of the City of Holland, other than this Charter, shall be by resolution or by ordinance. The word "resolution" as used in this Charter shall be the official action of the council in the form of a resolution or a motion, which does not constitute an ordinance or a step in the adoption of an ordinance and such action shall be limited to matters required or permitted to be done by resolution by this Charter or by state or federal law and to matters pertaining to the internal affairs or concerns of the city government. All other acts of the council, and all acts carrying a penalty for the violation thereof, shall be by ordinance.
Each ordinance shall be identified by a number and a short title. Each proposed ordinance shall be introduced in written or printed form. The style of all ordinances passed by the council shall be, "The City of Holland Ordains:". Except in the case of any ordinance which the council, with the approval of not less than six of its members, has voted to be an emergency ordinance, no ordinance shall be finally passed by the council until at least two weeks have elapsed following the introduction thereof. Any ordinance of the city may be repealed by reference to its number and title. The section or sections of any ordinance which is revised, altered, or amended shall be reenacted, and published at length. All ordinances, when enacted, shall be immediately recorded by the clerk in a book to be called "The Ordinance Book"; and it shall be the duty of the mayor and clerk to authenticate such record by their official signatures thereon.
Each ordinance passed by the council shall be published at least once after its adoption by the council before it shall become operative. The date upon which an ordinance shall become operative shall be specifically provided in the ordinance itself. When the ordinance imposes a penalty, unless such ordinance be declared to be an emergency ordinance by the council, such operative date shall not be less than 21 days from the date of its passage. Publication of any ordinance as required herein may be accomplished by publication of such ordinance, after its final passage, as a part of the published proceedings of the council.
[Amend. of 11-2-1999]
Each person who violates any provision of this Charter shall be subject to punishment by fine or imprisonment, or by both fine and imprisonment, in the sound discretion of the court having jurisdiction. The council may provide in ordinances passed by it for the punishment of violations of the provisions thereof by fine or imprisonment, or by both fine and imprisonment. No punishment for the violation of any city ordinance, any provisions of this Charter, or for the commission by any officer of the city of any act declared by this Charter to constitute misconduct in office, shall exceed the maximum penalty provided by state statute, MCL 117.4i; MSA 5.2082, as may be amended from time to time, and as the council in compliance therewith may so provide in ordinances that it passes.
Prosecution for violations of the ordinances of the city shall be commenced within two years after the commission of the offense.
Except as the same may be inconsistent with or otherwise provided in chapter 7 of this Charter, all proceedings relative to the arrest, custody, and trial of persons accused of violation of the provisions of the laws and ordinances of the city, shall be governed by, and conform to, as nearly as may be, the provisions of law relating to the proceedings in criminal cases cognizable by justices of the peace.
The council may adopt, as a city ordinance, any provision of state law or any detailed technical code or set of regulations which has been promulgated by the State of Michigan, or by the [any] department, board, or agency thereof, or by any organization or association which is organized and conducted for the purpose of developing any such code or set of regulations, by reference thereto in an adopting ordinance and without publishing such technical code or set of regulations in full; provided, that such code or set of regulations is fully identified in said ordinance and that the purpose of said code or set of regulations shall be published with the adopting ordinance and that printed copies thereof are kept in the office of the clerk, available for distribution to the public at all times. Such publication shall contain notice to the effect that a complete copy of said code or set of regulations is available for public use and inspection in the office of the clerk.
(a) 
Copies of all ordinances enacted and amendments to the city Charter adopted after the effective date of this Charter shall be available at the office of the clerk.
(b) 
Within two years after the adoption of this Charter, and at least once in every 10 years thereafter, the council shall direct and complete the compilation or codification and the publication of the Charter and of all ordinances of the city then in force, in loose-leaf or pamphlet form, and may provide for a reasonable charge for copies thereof. The placing of not less than 500 copies of such compilation or code in the office of the clerk for public inspection and distribution shall constitute publication of such compilation or code. No further publication of any such compilation or codification of the ordinances of the city shall be required for the validity thereof. In case the codification or compilation shall have been maintained current and up-to-date during any ten-year period, no recompilation or recodification of the ordinances of the city shall be required during or at the end of such period.
(c) 
Copies of ordinances and of any compilation code, or codes referred to in this chapter may be certified by the clerk, and, when so certified, shall be competent evidence in all courts and legally established tribunals as to the matters contained therein.