Res 1996-014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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'{Of.; Page 4 January 11, 1996 city said the initiated ordinance without amendment, and alternative ordinance on the same subject proposed by the council; the voters being given t~e opportunity to accept ettftef or reject both. If both are 'accepted, then the ordinance receiving the greatest number of affirmative votes is adopted, and the other ordinance is deemed rejected. If both are accepted and receive the same number of affirmative votes, both are deemed rejected. (b) When the council receives an authorized referendum petition, certified by the city secretary to be sufficient, the council shall reconsider the referendum ordinance, and if upon s-ticlT reconsideration the s-ticlT ordinance is not repealed within thirty (30) days, it shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the city at a regular or special election to be held on the date next authorized by state law for municipal elections which is at least 45 thirty (30) days from the last day for council action. (c) Special elections on initiated or referred ordinances shall not be held more frequently than once each six (6) months, and no ordinance on the same subject as an initiated ordinance which has been defeated or on tile same subject as a referred ordinance which has been approved at any election may be initiated by the voters within two (2) years from the date of such election. Sec. 6.06. Results of elections. Any number of ordinances may be voted on at the same election in accordance with the provisions of this article. Except as otherwise provided in Section 6.05, iff a majority of the legal votes cast is in favor of an initiated ordinance, it shall thereupon be effective as an ordinance of the city when the result of the election is declared. An ordinance so adopted may be repealed or amended at any time after the expiration of two (2) years by a vote of three-fourths of the council members qualified and serving. A referred ordinance which is rejected by a majority of the legal votes cast in a referendum election shall be deemed thereupon repealed. The changes in Section 6.05 are to clarify the City Council's responsibilities when an initiative petition is presented, and to ensure conformity with certain Texas Election Code provisions. Section 6.05 contains a deadline for the Council to pass an initiated ordinance without calling an election, but it contains no deadline for calling the election. The revisions apply the same deadline to both alternatives. The current Section 6.05 also allows the Council to present an alternative to the initiated ordinance on the ballot, but it does not comply with the Election Code requirement that each ordinance be presented in "for/against" format. One possible result of this mandated format is the acceptance by voters of both ordinances. The revisions provide for this, and