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.