[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 73]
The electors shall have power to propose any ordinance, except
an ordinance appropriating money or authorizing the levy of taxes,
unless otherwise provided by state law, such power being known as
the initiative. Any initiated ordinance may be submitted to the council
by a petition signed by qualified electors of the city equal in number
to at least ten per centum of the registered voters at the last regular
municipal.
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 74]
The electors shall have power to approve or reject at the polls
any ordinance passed by the council, or submitted by the council to
a vote of the electors, excepting ordinances for the issuance of bonds
and the levy of taxes as herein provided, such power being known as
the referendum. Ordinances submitted to the council by initiative
petition and passed by the council shall be subject to the referendum
in the same manner as other ordinances. Within fifteen days after
the enactment by the council of any ordinance which is subject to
a referendum, a petition signed by qualified electors of the city
equal in number to at least fifteen per centum of the registered voters
at the last regular municipal election may be filed with the city
clerk, requesting that any such ordinance be either repealed or submitted
to a vote of the electors.
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 75]
All petition papers comprising an initiative or referendum petition
shall be assembled and filed with the city clerk as one instrument.
The signatures to the petition need not all be appended to one paper,
but each signer shall add to his signature his place of residence,
giving the street and number, and the circulator of each such paper
shall make oath before an officer competent to administer oaths that
each signature appended to the petition is the genuine signature of
the person whose name it purports to be and that it was signed in
his presence.
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 76; Ord. No. 5736, Prop. No. 17, 4-3-1990]
Within twenty-eight days after a petition is filed, the city
clerk shall determine whether each paper of the petition has a proper
statement of the circulator and whether the petition is signed by
a sufficient number of qualified electors who have been certified
by the board of election commissioners of St. Louis County. After
completing his examination of the petition, the city clerk shall certify
the result thereof to the council at its next regular meeting. If
he shall certify that the petition is insufficient he shall set forth
in his certificate the particulars in which it is defective and shall
at once notify the person filing the petition of his findings.
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 77]
An initiative or referendum petition may be amended at any time
within ten days after the notification of insufficiency has been sent
by the city clerk, by filing a supplementary petition upon additional
papers executed and filed as provided in case of an original petition.
The city clerk shall, within five days after such an amendment is
filed, make examination of the amended petition; if the petition be
still insufficient he shall file his certificate to that effect in
his office and notify the person filing the petition of his findings,
and no further action shall be had on such insufficient petition.
The finding of the unsufficiency of a petition shall not prejudice
the filing of a new petition for the same purpose.
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 78]
When a referendum petition has been certified to the council
as sufficient by the city clerk, the ordinance specified in the petition
shall not go in effect, or, if it shall have gone into effect, further
action thereunder shall be suspended until and unless approved by
the electors, as hereinafter provided. The council shall proceed forthwith
to reconsider the referred ordinance, and its final vote upon such
reconsideration shall be upon the question:
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"Shall the ordinance specified in the referendum petition be
repealed?"
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If the council shall fail to repeal an ordinance specified in
any referendum petition it shall call a special election, unless a
general election is fixed within ninety days thereafter, and at such
special or general municipal election, if one is so fixed, such ordinance
shall be submitted without alteration to the vote of the electors
of the city.
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[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 79]
When an initiative petition has been certified to the council
as sufficient by the city clerk, the council shall proceed at once
to consider the proposed ordinance, taking final action thereon not
later than thirty days after certification.
If the council shall fail to pass an ordinance proposed by the
initiative petition it shall call a special election, unless a general
election is fixed within ninety days thereafter, and at such special
or general municipal election, if one is so fixed, such ordinance
shall be submitted without alteration to the vote of the electors
of the city. The enacting clause of such ordinance shall be:
"Be it ordained by the people of University City."
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 80]
Ordinances submitted to vote of the electors in accordance with
the initiative and referendum provisions of this Charter shall be
submitted by ballot title, which shall be prepared in all cases by
the director of law or other principal legal adviser of the city.
The ballot title may be different from the legal title of any such
initiated or referred ordinance and shall be a clear, concise statement,
without argument or prejudice, descriptive of the substance of such
ordinance. The ballot used in voting upon any ordinance, if a paper
ballot, shall have below the ballot title the following propositions,
one above the other, in the order indicated: "FOR THE ORDINANCE" and
"AGAINST THE ORDINANCE". Immediately at the left of each proposition
there shall be a square in which by making a cross (X) the elector
may vote for or against the ordinance. Any number of ordinances may
be voted on at the same election and may be submitted on the same
ballot, but any paper ballot used for voting thereon shall be for
that purpose only.
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 81]
If a majority of the electors voting on a proposed initiative
ordinance shall vote in favor thereof, it shall thereupon be an ordinance
of the city. A referred ordinance which is not approved by a majority
of the electors voting thereon shall thereupon be deemed repealed.
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 82; Ord. No. 5211, § 3]
Any councilmember may be removed at any time by the electors
qualified to vote for a successor of such incumbent. The procedure
to effect the removal of such incumbent shall be as follows: A petition
signed by electors entitled to vote for a successor of an incumbent
sought to be removed equal in number to at least twenty-five per centum
of the electors so qualified to vote at the last regular municipal
election, demanding the removal of such councilmember, shall be filed
with the city clerk, which petition shall contain a general statement
of grounds for which the removal is sought. Such petition shall be
executed, verified, filed, and may be amended in the manner provided
for initiative and referendum petitions.
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 83]
When a sufficient petition has been filed, the city clerk shall
submit the same to the council without delay, and the council shall
fix a date for holding the election, not less than thirty nor more
than forty-five days thereafter. Publication and notice thereof shall
be given, and the election shall be conducted, returned and the result
thereof declared in all respects as are other city elections.
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 84; Ord. No. 5211, § 3]
The ballots shall be in the following form:
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Shall Councilmember ____________________ be removed from office?
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[ ] Yes
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[ ] No
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Voters in favor of the recall place a cross (X) in the square
opposite the word "Yes".
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Voters opposed to the recall place a cross (X) in the square
opposite the word "No".
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[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 85; Ord. No. 5211, § 3]
If a majority shall vote in favor of the recall, then a vacancy
shall exist and shall be filled by the council as provided in this
Charter for the filling of vacancies. If a majority is against the
recall the councilmember shall continue in office. A councilmember
who has been recalled shall be ineligible to serve as councilmember
at any time during the remainder of the term for which he was originally
elected.
[R.O. 2011 Charter Art. X § 86; Ord. No. 5211, § 3]
No councilmember shall be subject to recall within six months
from his induction into office, nor during the last six months of
his term; and if he is retained in office upon any recall election,
he shall not be subject to recall within a period of six months thereafter.
