The registered, qualified voters of the City of Richland Hills, in addition to the method of legislation herein before provided, shall have the power to direct legislation by initiative and referendum.
(a) 
Initiative.
Initiative power may be used to enact a new ordinance or to repeal or amend sections of an existing ordinance. Qualified voters of the City of Richland Hills may initiate legislation (except levying taxes, setting rates for services, adoption of a budget or capital improvement program, any ordinance related to zoning, issuance of bonds or notes, borrowing of money, salaries or duties of City officers or employees, matters related to administration of municipal employees, annexation, municipal boundary adjustments, any instance where a court of proper jurisdiction determines that the initiated ordinance has been removed from the field of initiative, or any subject where State law requires a public hearing) by submitting a petition addressed to the City Council which requests the submission of a proposed ordinance or resolution to a vote of the qualified voters of the City. Said petition must be signed by qualified voters of the City equal in number to 25% of the number of votes cast at the last regular municipal election of the City, or 250, whichever is greater, and each copy of the petition shall have attached to it a copy of the proposed legislation. The petition shall be signed in the same manner as recall petitions are signed in this Charter, and shall be verified by oath in the manner and form provided for recall petitions in this Charter. The petition may consist of one or more copies as permitted for recall petitions in this Charter. Such petitions shall be filed with the persons performing the duties of City Secretary, who, within five (5) days, shall present said petition and proposed ordinance or resolution to the City Council. Upon presentation of the petition and draft of the proposed ordinance or resolution to Council, it shall become the duty of the City Council, within the ten (10) days after the receipt thereof, to pass and adopt such ordinance or resolution without alteration as to meaning or effect in the opinion of the persons filing the petition, or to call a special election as soon as possible, subject to the Texas Election Code, which the qualified voters of the City of Richland Hills shall vote on the question of adopting or rejecting the proposed legislation. However, if any other municipal election is to be held within sixty (60) days after the filing of the petition, the question may be voted on at such election.
(b) 
Referendum.
Registered, qualified voters of the City of Richland Hills may require that any ordinance or resolution passed by the City Council be submitted to the voters of the City for approval or disapproval, (except levying taxes, setting rates for services, adoption of a budget or capital improvement program, any ordinance related to zoning, issuance of bonds or notes, borrowing of money, salaries or duties of City officers or employees, matters related to administration of municipal employees, annexation, municipal boundary adjustments, any instance where a court of proper jurisdiction determines that the initiated ordinances has been removed from the field of initiative, or any subject where State law requires a public hearing) by submitting a petition for this purpose within forty-five (45) days after final passage of said resolution or within thirty (30) days after publication of such ordinance. Said petition must be signed by qualified voters of the City equal in number to 25% of the number of votes cast at the last regular municipal election of the City, or 250, whichever is greater. Said petition shall be addressed, prepared, signed and verified by oath in the manner and form provided for recall petitions as provided in Sections 15.02 and 15.03, Article XV of this Charter, provided, however, the names on such petition shall also be of registered voters and shall be submitted to the person performing the duties of City Secretary. Within five (5) days upon the filing of such petition, the person performing the duties of City Secretary shall present said petition to the City Council. Thereupon the City Council shall, within ten (10) days, reconsider such ordinance or resolution and, if it does not entirely repeal the same, shall submit it to popular vote at a special election as soon as possible, subject to the Texas Election Code, at which time the registered, qualified voters of the City of Richland Hills shall vote on the question of adopting or rejecting the proposed question. However, if any other municipal election is to be held within sixty (60) days of the filing of the petition, the question may be voted on at such election. Pending the holding of such election, such ordinance or resolution shall be suspended from taking effect and shall not later take effect unless a majority of the registered, qualified voters voting thereon at such election shall vote in favor thereof.
(c) 
Any qualified voter of the City may seek judicial relief in the District Court of Tarrant County in the event the Council fails to act on an initiative or referendum petition meeting the requirements of this Article.
[Ordinance 1473-23 adopted 5/16/2023]
The City Council, upon its own motion and by majority vote of its members, may submit to popular vote at any election for adoption or rejection any proposed ordinance or resolution or measure, or may submit for repeal any existing ordinance, resolution or measure in the same manner and within the same force and effect as provided in Sections 16.02(a) and (b) of this Article, and may, at its discretion, call a special election for this purpose.
The ballots used when voting upon such referred ordinances, resolutions or measures, shall set forth their nature sufficiently to identify them and shall also set forth upon separate lines the words:
"FOR the ORDINANCE," and "AGAINST the ORDINANCE," or
"FOR the RESOLUTION," and "AGAINST the RESOLUTION."
The person performing the duties of City Secretary shall publish at least once in the official newspaper of the City the proposed or referred ordinance or resolution within fifteen (15) days before the date of the election, and shall give such other notices and do such other things relative to such election as are required in general municipal elections or by the ordinance or resolution calling said election.
If a majority of the registered, qualified voters voting on any proposed ordinance or resolution or measure shall vote in favor thereof, it shall thereupon, or at any time fixed therein, become effective as a law or as a mandatory order of the City Council.
If the provisions of two or more proposed ordinances or resolutions approved at the same election are inconsistent, the ordinance or resolution receiving the highest number of votes shall prevail.
The City Council may pass ordinances or resolutions providing other and further regulations for carrying out the provisions of this Article not inconsistent herewith.
Nothing contained in this Article shall be construed to be in conflict with any of the provisions of Article IX, Section 9.04 of the Charter, pertaining to ordinances granting franchises when valuable rights shall have accrued thereunder.