[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Haverhill as Ch. 1, Art. II, Divs. 1 and 2 of the 1963 City Code (Ch. 58 of the 1980 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
All bylaws passed by the City Council or by the qualified voters thereof at a special or annual City election shall be termed "ordinances," and the enacting style, which shall be but once recited in each ordinance, shall be: "Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Haverhill as follows:"
All ordinances hereafter passed shall be recorded in the order of passage by the City Clerk in a book kept for that purpose, with proper margins and index, to be lettered "Record of Ordinances, City of Haverhill," which book shall be kept in the office of the City Clerk, subject to the inspection of the citizens. Proper distinction between the different classes of ordinances recorded shall be maintained by writing the words "Passed by the City Council," "Passed by the City Council on petition" or "Passed by the qualified voters at the election of _________" (inserting the date), as the case may be, after each ordinance recorded.
All ordinances passed by the City Council, or passed by the City Council on petition, or those submitted to the qualified voters of the City at any special or annual City election, shall be referred to the City Solicitor for his opinion as to their legality.
No ordinance made or passed by the City Council or by the voters shall require the approval of any court or of the Attorney General or shall be required to be published in order to become effective, except that all ordinances to be submitted to the voters at an annual or at a special election as the result of a petition, and all propositions made by the City Council and to be submitted to the voters concerning the repeal or amendment of any such ordinance previously so passed shall be published once in each of the daily newspapers published in the City not more than 20 nor less than five days before the submission to the voters of the ordinance or proposition to be voted on.
Whenever in this Code, or in any ordinance hereafter passed, anything is prohibited to be done without the permission or license of some officer, officers or board, such officer, officers or board shall be deemed to have the power to permit or license such thing to be done.
It shall require a majority vote of the whole membership of the City Council to pass, annul, change, amend, alter or repeal any ordinance of the City emanating from the City Council.
No ordinance, amendment or repeal of an ordinance passed by the City Council on petition or by the qualified voters at any election shall be repealed or amended except by the qualified voters at an annual or special City election.
When any ordinance repealing a former ordinance, clause or provision shall be itself repealed, such repeal shall not be construed to revive such former ordinance, clause or provision, unless it shall be therein expressly provided for.
The repeal of any ordinance shall not affect any act done, or any right accruing or accrued or established, or any suit or proceeding had or commenced in any civil case before the time when such repeal shall take effect, nor any offense committed, nor any penalty or forfeiture incurred, nor any suit or prosecution pending at the time of such repeal for any offense committed, or for the recovery of any penalty or forfeiture incurred under any of the provisions so repealed; and all persons who, at the time when such repeal shall take effect, shall hold any office under any of the ordinances or provisions so repealed, shall continue to hold the same according to the tenure thereof, excepting those offices which may have been abolished, and those as to which a different provision shall have been made by following ordinances.