The people of the City of Forest Hill reserve the power of direct legislation by initiative, and in the exercise of such power, may propose any ordinance not in conflict with this Charter, the State Constitution or the State laws, except an ordinance appropriating money or authorizing the levy of taxes or an ordinance repealing an ordinance appropriating money or levying taxes. Any initiated ordinance may be submitted to the City Council by a petition signed by registered voters of the City of Forest Hill equal in number to at least thirty percent (30%) of the number of votes cast at the last regular municipal election of the City, or such petition must be signed by one hundred-fifty (150) registered voters, whichever is greater.
The people reserve the power to approve or reject at the polls any legislation enacted by the City 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 members of the City Council required by this Charter to enact emergency legislation.
Prior to the effective date of any ordinance which is subject to referendum, a petition signed by registered voters of the City, equal in number to at least thirty percent (30%) of the number of votes cast at the last regular municipal election of the City, or signed by one hundred fifty (150) registered voters, whichever is greater, may be filed with the City Secretary, requesting that any such ordinance be either repealed or submitted to a vote of the people.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 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 it is approved by the voters as herein provided.
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 in ink or indelible pencil and date such signature. For a petition signature to be valid, it must comply with the requirements of state law, which require in addition to the signature:
a. 
the signer’s printed name,
b. 
the signer’s date of birth or voter registration number,
c. 
the signer’s residence address,
d. 
the date of signing, and
e. 
comply with any other applicable requirements prescribed by law.
Each such petition shall contain a statement verified by a notary public that each signature appended thereto was made in the presence of the person verifying and 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 forty-five (45) days prior to the filing of such petition.
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 registered resident voters. The City Secretary shall declare void any petition paper which does not have an affidavit appended thereto as required by Section 12.03 of this Article. In examining the petitions, the City Secretary shall write the letter “D.V.” in red ink opposite the names of ineligible signers.
After completing examination of the petition, the City Secretary shall certify the results thereof to the City Council at is [its] next regular meeting, stating number of persons found on the petition who are registered resident voters. 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.
When the City Council receives an authorized initiative petition certified by the City Secretary to be sufficient, the City Council shall either:
(a) 
Pass the initiated ordinance without amendment within thirty (30) days after the date of the certification to the City 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 available uniform election date; or
(c) 
At such election, submit to a vote of the qualified voters of the city said initiative ordinance without amendment, and an alternate ordinance on the same subject proposed by the City Council.
When the City 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 available 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, by the voters, within two (2) years from the date of such election.
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”
“Against the Ordinance”
An initiated ordinance and an alternative ordinance proposed by the City Council which are submitted at the same election shall be appropriately identified as the initiated or referred ordinance and as the ordinance proposed by the City Council.
Any number or [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 four-fifths (4/5) vote of the City Council. A referred ordinance which is not approved by a majority of the votes cast shall be deemed thereupon repealed.