An initiative or referendum shall be proposed by filing an application with the borough clerk containing the ordinance to be initiated or referred.
The application shall be signed by at least ten (10) voters who sponsor the petition.
The application shall contain a copy of the ordinance initiated or sought to be referred and conform to such other requirements as may be established by ordinance.
Upon the clerk's certification that the application is in proper form and meets the requirements of this chapter and the ordinances of the borough, the borough clerk shall prepare a petition for circulation for signatures.
The petition shall then be signed by a number of qualified voters of the borough equal at least to twenty-five percent of the total votes cast at the immediately preceding regular borough election.
A petition with sufficient signatures must be filed with the borough clerk within 90 days after the petition is issued by the borough clerk. Each copy of the petition filed must bear the sponsor's sworn statement that the sponsor personally circulated the petition, that all signatures were affixed in the presence of the sponsor, and that the sponsor believes the signatures to be those of the persons whose names they purport to be.
Within 10 days after the petition is filed, the borough clerk, with such assistance from the borough attorney as the borough clerk deems necessary, shall ascertain whether the petition is legal and has sufficient signatures, and shall certify the borough clerk's finding to said petition.
If the borough clerk certifies that a petition is insufficient, a sponsor of the petition may protest that decision by filing a written protest with the borough manager within seven days of the certification.
The borough manager shall present the protest to the assembly at its next regular meeting, and the assembly shall hear and decide the protest.