The legislative power of the city is vested exclusively in the Council, except as otherwise provided by law. When this charter requires the adoption of an ordinance for any purpose, the existence of an ordinance accomplishing such purpose shall suffice.
All ordinances, resolutions, rules, and regulations of the Council and of each administrative agency of the city, to the extent that they are consistent with the provisions of this charter, which are in force on the effective date of this charter, shall continue in full force, until repealed or amended.
(a) 
Each proposed ordinance shall be introduced in written form. The style of all ordinances passed by the Council shall be, "The City of Coldwater Ordains:"
(b) 
No ordinance shall be passed at the same meeting at which it is introduced, unless it is declared to be an emergency ordinance by a vote of not less than six members of the Council.
(c) 
An ordinance may be repealed or amended only by an ordinance passed in the manner provided in this section. An ordinance may be repealed by reference to its number only.
(d) 
If a section of an ordinance is amended, it shall be re-enacted and published at length: Provided, that this requirement shall not apply to zoning ordinance amendments or to the schedules of one-way streets and of parking limitations contained in any traffic ordinance.
(e) 
Each ordinance, after adoption, shall be identified by a number.
(f) 
The Council may adopt any detailed technical code or regulations as a city ordinance by reference to any recognized standard code, official or unofficial, or may adopt the same in detail. In either case, publication thereof may be made by providing to the public not less than 50 copies thereof in book or booklet form, available for public inspection and public distribution at cost at the office of the Clerk. Any amendment or revision of any such code or regulation which is so adopted and published may be adopted and published in the same manner.
(g) 
Each ordinance shall be recorded by the Clerk forthwith in the Ordinance Book, and the enactment of such ordinance shall be certified by him therein.
(a) 
Before an ordinance may become effective, it shall be published in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the city or as may be otherwise provided or permitted by law. Such publication may be as a part of the proceedings of the meeting at which it was adopted. The effective date of an ordinance shall be stated therein, but shall not be less than 20 days from the date of its adoption, unless it is declared by the affirmative vote of not less than six members of the Council to be an emergency ordinance.
(b) 
In the event of the codification of the ordinances the deposit of 100 printed copies in the office of the Clerk, available for public inspection and sale at cost, shall constitute the publication thereof.
The Council shall provide in ordinances adopted by it for the punishment of violations thereof. Such punishment may be by a fine of not to exceed $500 or imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both, in the discretion of the court. Imprisonment for violations of ordinances may be in the city or county jail, or in any workhouse of the state which is authorized by law to receive prisoners of the City.
No prosecution for the violation of an ordinance shall be commenced after the expiration of two years after the commission of the offense.
Except as may be inconsistent with or otherwise provided in Chapter 11 of this charter, all proceedings relative to the arrest, custody, and trial of persons accused of the violation of ordinances shall be governed by and conform as nearly as may be with the provisions of law relating to proceedings in criminal cases cognizable by justices of the peace.
Any act which may be done by the Council by ordinance or resolution may be initiated by petition, or a referendum on any act of the Council may be had by a petition, as hereinafter provided.
An initiatory or a referendary petition shall be signed by not less than 20% of the registered electors of the city on the day of the closing of the registration rolls prior to the last previous city election. The Clerk shall provide and make available to any registered elector of the city general petition forms upon which any initiatory or referendary petition may be set forth by such elector or others interested therein. Such petition may be the aggregate of two or more petition papers. Each signer of a petition shall sign his name, and shall place thereon after his name the date of his signing and his place of residence by street and number and compliance with the requirements of this sentence shall be jurisdictional to the validity of any petition or petition paper. To each petition paper there shall be attached a sworn affidavit by the circulator thereof, stating that each signature thereon is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be, and that it was signed in the presence of the affiant. Such petition shall be filed with the Clerk who shall, within 10 days, canvass the signatures thereon to determine the genuineness and the sufficiency thereof. Any signature obtained more than 60 days before the filing of such petition with the Clerk shall not be counted. If an initiatory petition be found to contain an insufficient number of genuine signatures of registered electors of the city, or to be improper as to form or compliance with the provisions of this section, the Clerk shall notify, forthwith, the person filing such petition, and 10 days from such notification shall be allowed for the filing of supplemental petition papers. When an initiatory or referendary petition is found to be sufficient and proper, the Clerk shall present the petition to the Council at its next regular meeting.
Upon receiving an initiatory or referendary petition from the Clerk, the Council shall, within 60 days, either:
(a) 
If it be an initiatory petition, adopt the ordinance as submitted in the petition, or determine to submit the proposal to the electors; or
(b) 
If it be a referendary petition, repeal the ordinance to which the petition refers or determine to submit the proposal to the electors.
Should the Council decide to submit the proposal to the electors, it shall be submitted at the next election held in the city for any purpose, or, in the discretion of the Council, at a special election. The result shall be determined by a majority vote of the electors voting thereon, except in cases where otherwise required by law.
An ordinance adopted by the electorate through initiatory proceedings may not be amended or repealed by the Council for a period of two years after the date of the election at which it was adopted. Should two or more ordinances, adopted at the same election, have conflicting provisions, the one receiving the largest affirmative vote shall prevail.
The certification by the Clerk of the sufficiency of a referendary-petition within 30 days after the passage of the ordinance to which such petition refers shall automatically suspend the operation of the ordinance in question pending repeal by the Council or final determination by the electors.
The Council, or any committee authorized by it for the purpose, shall have the power to inquire into the conduct of any department, office, or officer of the city and make investigations as to municipal affairs, and for that purpose may summon witnesses to appear before the Council or a committee of the Council to give information, under oath, pertinent to such inquiry, administer oaths, and require the production of books, papers, and other evidence. Any officer or employee of the city who shall fail or refuse to obey such summons or to produce books, papers, or other evidence as ordered under the provisions of this section shall be deemed to be guilty of a violation of this charter.