If any proposed ordinance, except an ordinance appropriating
money, issuing bonds or authorizing the levying of taxes, or a request
for referendum within twenty (20) days after the passage of any ordinance,
except an ordinance appropriating money, issuing bonds, or authorizing
the levying of taxes, be submitted to the City Secretary with a petition
thereon signed by ten (10) percent of the qualified voters of the
City of Garland, stating the residence of each signing, and bearing
the oath of one of the signers that each signature thereon is the
genuine signature of each person whose name purports to be subscribed
thereon, the City Secretary shall, with such assistance as the City
Manager may assign to the City Secretary forthwith, check the petition
with the list of qualified voters in Dallas County for the year ending
the thirty-first day of January next preceding.
Within twenty (20) days after the filing of such petition in
the Office of the City Secretary, the City Secretary shall attach
thereto a certificate showing the results of the examination.
The person who filed any insufficient petition shall be notified
immediately upon discovery of such insufficiency and may present additional
signatures within ten (10) days after such notice or may file a new
initiative petition at any time.
Within twenty (20) days after the City Secretary finds any petition
proposing an ordinance sufficient, the Council shall either pass the
ordinance as submitted or submit the proposed ordinance to a vote
of the people.
When a referendum petition has been certified as sufficient,
the ordinance specified in the petition shall not go into effect or
further action thereunder shall be suspended if it shall have gone
into effect until and unless approved by the voters.
Whenever any ordinance or proposition is required by the Charter
to be submitted to the voters of the City of Garland, the City Secretary
shall cause the ordinance or proposition to (a) be published on the
City’s website and (b) be printed and shall send a printed copy
thereof to each voter at least ten (10) days prior to the date set
for the vote thereon. However, the Council may order such ordinance
or proposition to be printed in a newspaper having a general circulation
in both Dallas and Collin Counties instead of sending printed copies
to the voters.
(Ordinance 6991, prop. DD, adopted 5/15/18)
If a majority of the voters voting on a proposed initiative
ordinance shall vote in favor thereof, it shall thereupon be an ordinance
of the City of Garland. A referendum on an adopted ordinance which
is not approved by a majority of the voters voting thereon shall thereupon
be deemed a repeal of such ordinance and it shall be without further
force and effect.