In addition to any other actions required by law or by this Charter to be taken by ordinance, those actions of the City Council shall be by ordinance which:
(1) 
Adopt or amend the annual budget and the capital program.
(2) 
Adopt or amend an administrative code or establish, alter or abolish any City department, office or agency.
(3) 
Adopt or amend a manual establishing a human resources system for the City.
(4) 
Provide for a fine or other penalty or establish a rule or regulation for violation of which a fine or other penalty is imposed.
(5) 
Levy taxes.
(6) 
Grant, renew or extend a franchise.
(7) 
Establish, alter or abolish rates charged for any utility or other service supplied by the City.
(8) 
Authorize the borrowing of money.
(9) 
Convey or lease or authorize the conveyance or lease of any lands of the City.
(10) 
Amend or repeal any ordinance previously adopted unless such previous ordinance action could have been taken by resolution or motion.
1. 
Form. Every proposed ordinance shall be in writing. No ordinance shall contain more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title.
2. 
Procedure. An ordinance may be introduced by any member at any regular or special meeting of the Council. Upon introduction of any ordinance, the City Clerk shall distribute a copy to each Council member and to the Manager, and shall file a reasonable number of copies in the office of the City Clerk and such other public places as the Council may designate. Notice of all proposed ordinances shall be published not less than seven (7) days before passage. Notice shall include either the full text or a brief summary of the proposed ordinance, which lists the major provisions in reasonable detail and a reference to the place within the City where copies of the proposed ordinance may be examined. If the City Solicitor determines that substantial amendments are made in the proposed ordinance, before voting upon enactment, the City Clerk shall, at least seven (7) days before enactment, publish a brief summary setting forth the major provisions in reasonable detail, together with a summary of the amendments. Where maps, plans or drawings of any kind are adopted as part of an ordinance, instead of publishing them as part of the ordinance, the notice may refer to the place where such documents are on file and may be examined.
Every ordinance shall contain the date of its enactment, and its enactment shall be verified by the signature of the presiding officer of the meeting where final action thereon was taken. However, failure on the part of the presiding officer to sign an ordinance shall not in any way invalidate an otherwise valid ordinance.
1. 
Effective date. Except as otherwise provided in this Charter or in the ordinance being adopted, every adopted ordinance shall become effective within ten (10) days of enactment thereof.
2. 
"Publish" defined. As used in this section, the term "publish" or as the case may be "re-publish" means to notify the public by contemporary means of information-sharing, including, but not limited to, newspapers of general circulation in the City and on the City's website. In the event that applicable law would permit a proposed ordinance to be published by means not requiring newspaper publication, City Council may adopt an ordinance allowing any proposed ordinance to be published in such a manner.
To meet a public emergency affecting life, health, property or the public peace, the City Council may adopt emergency ordinances, but such ordinances may not levy taxes, grant, renew, or extend a franchise, regulate the rate charged by any public utility for its services or authorize the borrowing of money except as provided in this Charter. An emergency ordinance may be adopted at the meeting at which it is introduced, but the affirmative vote of at least five (5) members shall be required for adoption, or a majority plus one in the event vacancies in office prevent five members being present to vote. The ordinance need not be published prior to adoption, but must be published as soon as possible thereafter and shall become effective upon adoption or at such later time as it may specify. Every emergency ordinance, shall automatically stand repealed as of the sixty first (61st) day following the date on which it was adopted, but this shall not prevent reenactment of the ordinance in the manner specified in this section if the emergency still exists.
The penalty for the violation of any ordinance shall be that prescribed by City Council for each violation and if no penalty shall be set forth, the penalty shall be as prescribed by Council by ordinance establishing such penalties. Council may in any ordinance, provide that for continuing violations each day that a violation exists may be regarded as a separate offense and punishable as such.
1. 
Authentication and recording. The City Clerk shall authenticate by the Clerk's signature and record in full in a properly indexed book kept for the purpose of all ordinances and resolutions adopted by City Council; however, failure to authenticate and record shall not in any way invalidate an otherwise valid ordinance.
2. 
Codification. The City currently has a codification of its ordinances known as the Code of the City of Altoona. This Code shall be continuously updated and amended in order to keep it as current as possible. Copies of the Code shall be furnished to City officers and be available, on a website for free public reference and made available for purchase by the public pursuant to applicable law.