The registered, qualified voters of the City of North Richland Hills, in addition to the method of legislation hereinbefore provided, shall have the power to direct legislation by referendum.
Registered, qualified voters of the City of North 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, by submitting a petition for this purpose within thirty (30) days after final passage of said ordinance or resolution or within thirty (30) days after its publication. Said petition shall be addressed, prepared, signed and verified by oath in the manner and form provided for recall petitions as provided in Section 2, 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. Immediately 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 immediately reconsider such ordinance or resolution and, if it does not entirely repeal the same, shall submit it to popular vote at a special election to be held within thirty (30) days thereafter at which the registered, qualified voters of the City of North Richland Hills shall vote on the question of adopting or rejecting 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 thereon.
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 Section 2 of this Article, and may, in 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 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 5 of the Charter, pertaining to ordinances granting franchises when valuable rights shall have accrued thereunder.