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(a) Payments. No payment shall be made from city funds until the city employee, so designated by ordinance, certifies there has been an appropriation therefor and that sufficient funds remain of such appropriation to cover such payment. (b) Obligations. (i) Current. No obligation to pay funds may be incurred by the city except as required by this charter or in accordance with procedures established by the city council. No other obligation of the city may be undertaken unless approved by the city council. No ordinance undertaking any obligation to pay funds may be finally approved until the city employee, so designated by ordinance, certifies that sufficient funds have been appropriated or are appropriated by such ordinance to satisfy such obligation. (ii)...

The council shall by ordinance set the tax rate and levy on the various classes of property as soon as practicable after passage of the ordinance approving the budget, but no later than August 15th of each year or as otherwise provided by law. No ordinance setting such tax rates and levy shall be so adopted until there has been a public hearing on the proposed ordinance. Notice of such public hearing shall be published as provided by ordinance.

The city shall be authorized to sell any bonds as may now or hereafter be authorized by law. Bonds sold by the city may be sold at private or public sale as authorized by law. In the event such bonds are to be sold at public sale the same shall be sold upon sealed proposals after reasonable public notice has been given as provided by ordinance or otherwise by law. Any public sale shall be conducted according to the terms and conditions as may be provided by ordinance.

(a) Regular elections. The regular city election shall be held on the first Tuesday in April in each even numbered year. (b) Special elections. The council may by resolution order special elections, fix the time for such elections, and provide for holding such elections. (c) Conduct of elections. All city elections shall be nonpartisan and governed by the provisions of this charter and of applicable state law. The council may by ordinance further regulate city elections consistent with the provisions of this charter and state law.

(a) Nominations. Nominations of candidates for all elective offices shall be by petition. Petitions nominating candidates shall be signed by not less than 100 registered voters of the city. The signatures shall be executed in ink. Each signer shall indicate next to the signer's signature the date of signing and the signer's place of residence, giving the street and number or other description sufficient to identify the signer's place of residence. The council by ordinance shall designate the appropriate form for nominating petitions and for acceptance of nominations. (b) Filing and acceptance. All separate papers comprising a nominating petition shall be assembled and filed with the City Clerk as one instrument not earlier than 180 days before the close o...

The City Clerk shall cause the names of the candidates to appear on all ballots in the order in which the candidates filed petitions for nominations which were verified and accepted. The candidates shall appear on the ballot without party designations.

(a) Voting. At the city election each elector shall be entitled to vote for the number of candidates who are to be elected Council Members and in the mayoral election shall be entitled to vote for one candidate for the office of Mayor. (b) Council Members. Upon receipt of the results of the city election the city council shall notify the candidates who have been elected Council Member. The number of candidates, equal to the number of Council Members positions to be filled in the city council, receiving the highest number of votes shall be certified elected. In the event of a tie in a significant position such tie shall be resolved by a special run-off election between the candidates who have tied, which special election shall be held within thirty-five (3...

(a) Initiative. The registered voters of the city shall have power to propose ordinances to the council and, if the council fails to adopt an ordinance so proposed without any change in substance, the registered voters shall have the power to adopt or reject the proposed ordinance at an election. The initiative power shall not extend to any ordinance relating to zoning, salaries of city officers or employees, or requiring any appropriation of money unless such ordinance provides for additional revenues therefor. No proposed initiative ordinance shall contain more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title. (b) Referendum. The registered voters of the city shall have power to require reconsideration by the council of any adopted ordinan...

Any ten registered voters may commence initiative, referendum, or recall proceedings by filing with the City Clerk an affidavit stating they will constitute the petitioners' committee and be responsible for circulating the petition and filing it in proper form. The affidavit shall also contain the following information which may be in separate documents attached to the affidavit and incorporated by reference: (i) The names and addresses of each committee member. (ii) The address to which all notices to the committee should be sent. (iii) The ordinance, in full, which the committee desires to be adopted or reconsidered, or the name and office of the official sought to be recalled. The City Clerk shall issue the appropriate petition blanks to the petitioner...

(a) Number of signatures. (i) Initiative. Initiative petitions must be signed by a number of registered voters equal to at least 5% of the total number of persons registered to vote at the last regular city election. (ii) Referendum. Referendum petitions must be signed by a number of registered voters equal to at least 10% of the total number of persons registered to vote at the last regular city election. (iii) Recall. Recall petitions must be signed by a number of registered voters equal to at least 15% of the total number of persons registered to vote at the last regular city election. (b) Form and content. All papers of a petition shall be uniform in size and style and shall be assembled as one instrument for filing. Each signature shall be executed i...

(a) Certificate of City Clerk; amendment. Within twenty days after a petition with the apparent number of required signatures is filed, the City Clerk shall complete a certificate as to its sufficiency, specifying, if it is insufficient, the reasons it is defective. A copy of the certificate shall promptly be sent to the petitioner's committee by registered mail. A petition certified insufficient for lack of the required number of valid signatures may be amended once if the petitioner's committee files a notice of intention to amend it with the clerk within two days after receiving the copy of such certificate and files a supplementary petition upon additional papers within ten days after receiving the copy of such certificate. Such supplementary petition...

When a referendum petition is timely filed with the City Clerk, the ordinance sought to be reconsidered shall be suspended from taking effect. Such suspension shall terminate when: (a) There is a final determination of insufficiency of the petition, or (b) The petitioners' committee withdraws the petition, or (c) The council repeals the ordinance, or (d) The election results sustaining the ordinance have been certified.

(a) Action by council. When an initiative or referendum petition has been determined sufficient, the council shall promptly consider the proposed initiative ordinance in the manner provided in Article III or reconsider the referred ordinance by voting its repeal. If the council fails to adopt a proposed initiative ordinance without any change in substance within 60 days or fails to repeal the referred ordinance within 30 days after the date the petition was finally determined sufficient, it shall submit the proposed or referred ordinance to the voters of the city. (b) Submission to voters. The vote of the city on a proposed or referred ordinance shall be held not less than 30 days and not later than 120 days from the date of the final council vote thereon...

When a recall petition has been certified to the city council as sufficient by the City Clerk, the city council shall at its next meeting after receipt of such certification fix a date for holding the election. The election shall be held at the next available regular or special election date for which timely notice may be given.

An initiative, referendum, or recall petition may be withdrawn at any time prior to the fifteenth day preceding the day scheduled for a vote of the city, by filing with the City Clerk a request for withdrawal signed by at least eight members of the petitioners' committee. Upon the filing of such request the petition shall have no further force or effect and all proceedings thereon shall be terminated.

(a) Initiative. If a majority of the electors voting on a proposed initiative ordinance vote in its favor, it shall be deemed adopted. If conflicting ordinances are approved at the same election, the one receiving the greatest number of affirmative votes shall prevail. (b) Referendum. If a majority of the electors voting on a referred ordinance vote to repeal the ordinance, it shall be deemed repealed. (c) Recall. If a majority of the electors voting at a recall election shall vote in favor of the proposition to remove an official, a vacancy shall exist in the office and such vacancy shall be filled as provided by the charter. If a majority of the electors voting at a recall election shall vote against the proposition to remove an official, the official s...

All public utility franchises and franchises for the use of public streets, alleys, bridges, easements, and public places, and all extensions and amendments thereof shall be granted only by ordinance. No ordinance shall be adopted within thirty (30) days after the application for the franchise has been filed with the council and a public hearing held thereon. No franchise shall be transferred directly or indirectly, except with the approval of the council by ordinance after a public hearing. Notice of all public hearings conducted hereunder shall be given at least fifteen (15) days prior to such hearing by publishing such notice at least once in a newspaper of general circulation within the city. No franchise shall be granted for a term in excess of twent...