The people of the City of Granbury reserve the power of direct legislation by initiative, and in the exercise of power, may propose any ordinance not in conflict with this Charter, the State Constitution, or the State Laws, except for the following: any ordinance appropriating money; authorizing the levy of taxes; establishing, raising or lowering utility rates; or any ordinance repealing an ordinance appropriating money, levying taxes, or establishing or changing utility rates. Any initiated ordinance may be submitted to the Council by a petition signed by registered qualified voters of the City of Granbury, equal in number to at least fifteen percent (15%) of the qualified voters registered to vote at the last general city election, or such petition must be signed by 200 registered, qualified voters, whichever is greater.
(Section 4.01 amended by an election held November 6, 2018)
The people reserve the power to approve or reject at the polls any legislation enacted by the Council which is subject to the initiative process under this Charter, except an ordinance which is enacted for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety which contains a statement of its urgency and which is adopted by the favorable votes of the requisite number of Councilpersons required by this Charter to enact emergency legislation. A petition signed by registered qualified voters of the City, equal in number to at least fifteen percent (15%) of the qualified voters registered to vote at the last general city election, or signed by 200 registered qualified voters, whichever is greater, may be filed with the City Secretary requesting that an ordinance be either repealed or submitted to a vote of the people. When such a petition has been certified as sufficient by the City Secretary, the ordinance specified by the petition shall not go into effect, or further action thereunder shall be suspended if it shall have gone into effect, until and unless it is approved by the voters as herein provided.
(Section 4.02 amended by an election held November 6, 2018)
Initiative petition papers shall contain the full text of the proposed legislation in the form of an ordinance, including a descriptive caption. The signatures to the initiative or referendum [petition] need not be all appended to one paper, but each signer shall sign his/her name in ink or indelible pencil and shall add his/her signature, his/her printed name in full, his/her voter registration number, his/her date of birth, his/her place of residence by street and number, and the date of signing. One of the signers of each separate paper petition shall make an affidavit that he/she, and only he/she, personally circulated such petition and that signature(s) appended thereto was (were) made in his/her presence and it is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be, and further that no signature shall have been placed thereon more than one hundred eighty (180) days, or less than forty-five (45) days prior to the filing of such petition.
(Section 4.03 amended by election held May 4, 2002)
Within ten (10) days after an initiative or referendum petition is filed, the City Secretary shall determine whether the same is signed by the requisite number of qualified voters. The City Secretary shall declare void any petition paper which does not have an affidavit attached thereto as required by Section 4.03 of this Article. In examining the petitions, the City Secretary shall write the letters “D.V.” in red ink opposite the names of signers found not qualified to vote. After completing examination of the petition, the City Secretary shall certify the results thereof to the Council at its next regular meeting, stating the number of persons found on the petition who are qualified to vote and the number of persons found on the petition who are not qualified to vote. If the certificate of the City Secretary shall show an initiative or referendum petition to be insufficient, the City Secretary shall notify the person filing the petition, and it may be amended within ten (10) days from the date of such notice by filing a supplementary petition upon additional papers signed and filed as provided for in the original petition. Within ten (10) days after such amendment is filed, the City Secretary shall examine the amended petition and certify as to its sufficiency. If the amended petition is found to be insufficient, the City Secretary shall return the petition to the person filing same, without prejudice to the filing of a new petition for the same purpose; provided however, that upon finding the amended petition to be insufficient, no new petition covering the same subject matter shall be filed until six (6) months shall have elapsed from the date of filing of the original petition.
(Section 4.05 amended by resolution 15-31 at an election held November 3, 2015; amended by an election held November 6, 2018)
When the Council receives an authorized initiative petition certified by the City Secretary to be sufficient, the Council shall either:
a. 
Pass the initiated ordinance without amendment within thirty (30) days after the date of the certification to the Council; or
b. 
Submit said initiated ordinance without amendment to a vote of the qualified voters of the City at a regular or special election to be held on the next uniform election date; or
When the Council receives an authorized referendum petition certified by the City Secretary to be sufficient, the Council shall reconsider the referred ordinance, and if upon such reconsideration, such ordinance is not repealed, it shall be submitted to the voters at a regular or special election to be held on the next uniform election date. Special elections on initiated or referred ordinances shall not be held more frequently than once each six (6) months, and no ordinance on the same subject as an initiated ordinance which has been defeated at any election may be initiated by the voters within two (2) years from the date of such election.
(Section 4.05 amended by resolution 15-31 at an election held November 3, 2015; amended by an election held November 6, 2018)
The ballot used in voting upon an initiated or referred ordinance shall state the caption of the ordinance and below the caption shall set forth on separate lines the words: “For the Ordinance,” and “Against the Ordinance.”
Any number of ordinances may be voted upon at the same election in accordance with the provisions of this Article. An ordinance submitted and receiving an affirmative majority of the votes cast, shall thereupon be effective as an ordinance of the City. An ordinance so adopted may be repealed or amended at any time after the expiration of two (2) years by a vote of not less than four (4) Members of the City Council. A referred ordinance which is not approved by a majority of the votes cast shall be deemed thereupon repealed.
(Section 4.06 amended by an election held November 6, 2018)
The people of the City reserve the power to recall any member of the Council and may exercise such power by filing with the City Secretary a petition, signed by registered qualified voters of the City equal in number to at least fifteen percent (15%) of the qualified voters registered to vote at the last general city election, or by 200 registered qualified voters, whichever is greater, demanding the removal of a member of the City Council. The petition shall be signed and verified in the manner required by the form prescribed below. Such petition shall contain a statement of the specific acts of misfeasance and/or malfeasance for which the removal is sought, and one of the signers of each petition paper shall make an affidavit as prescribed below. The following form of petition and acknowledgment is herein prescribed:
“By our signatures affixed hereto, we hereby affirm that we seek the recall of__________ , who holds the elected office of , for the following specific grounds of misfeasance and/or malfeasance as prescribed in Section 4.07 of the Charter of the City of Granbury:
(reasons for recall)
“And we further affirm that the information given below is true and correct:
Voter Registration Number
Printed Name
Address
 
Signature
STATE OF TEXAS
COUNTY OF HOOD
“BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, personally appeared, who, after being duly sworn by me sated [stated], upon his oath, that he circulated the above Petition; that he was personally present when each of the above signatures were affixed thereto; and that each person whose signature is affixed thereto, affirmed to him that the information provided by them was true and correct.
SWORN TO AND SUBSCRIBED BEFORE ME this the __________day of __________, 20__________.
 
Notary Public, State of Texas
My Commission Expires
(Section 4.07 amended by an election held November 6, 2018)
Within fifteen (15) days after the date of the filing of the papers constituting the recall petition, the person performing the duties of City Secretary shall present such petition to the Council. The Officer whose removal is sought may, after such recall petition has been presented to the Council, request in writing to the Council at the next regular meeting a public hearing to be held to permit him to present facts pertinent to the charges specified in the recall petition. In this event, the Council shall order such public hearing to be held, not less than five (5) days nor more than fifteen (15) days after receiving such request for a public hearing.
If the officer whose removal is sought does not resign, then it shall become the duty of the Council to order an election and fix a date for holding such recall election. The date of such election shall be held at the earliest date as permitted by State Law.
(Section 4.10 amended by resolution 15-31 at an election held November 3, 2015)
Ballots used at recall elections shall conform to the following requirements:
a. 
With respect to each person whose removal is sought, the question shall be submitted “Shall (Name) be removed from the office of City Council?”
b. 
Immediately below each such question there shall be printed the two following propositions, one above the other in the order indicated:
“For the recall of (Name)”
“Against the recall of (Name)”
(Section 4.10 amended by resolution 15-31 at an election held November 3, 2015)
If a majority of the votes cast at a recall election shall be against removal of the individual named on the ballot, he shall continue in office. If a majority of the votes cast at such election be for the removal of the individual named on the ballot, the Council shall immediately declare his office vacant and such vacancy shall be filled in accordance with the provisions of the Charter for the filling of vacancies. An individual thus removed shall not be a candidate to succeed himself in, an election called to fill the vacancy thereby created.
(Section 4.10 amended by resolution 15-31 at an election held November 3, 2015)
No recall petition shall be filed against any officer of the City within six (6) months after his election, and no officer shall be subjected to more than one (1) recall during a single term of office.
(Section 5.01 amended by an election held November 6, 2018)
Editor’s note–Former section 4.12, pertaining to failure of city council to call a recall election was deleted and repealed by an election held on November 6, 2018.