§10.03 INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM
(A) Ordinances and resolutions may be proposed by initiative petition and adopted by election, and ordinances and resolutions adopted by Council and rules and regulations adopted by the Parks and Recreation Board pursuant to Section 8.05(B)(6) of this Charter shall be subject to referendum as provided by the Constitution and laws of Ohio, except:
(1) Initiative and referendum petitions shall be signed by electors of the City equal in number to not less than ten percent of the number of persons voting at the last previous regular Municipal election; and such petitions shall be filed with the Clerk of Council who shall perform the powers, duties and functions of the Auditor, as specified in the general laws pertaining to initiative and referendum. The Clerk of Council shall determine the validity of such petitions and certify the results thereof within ten days after their filing to the Council and the election authorities.
(2) Ordinances and resolutions initiated by petition or subjected to referendum shall be submitted to the electors for approval or rejection at the next general or primary election occurring subsequent to sixty days after certification of the text of the ordinance or resolution to the election authorities, unless Council, by a majority vote of its members, submits such ordinances or resolutions for approval or rejection at a special election to be held not earlier than sixty days after certification of the text or the ordinance or resolution to the election authorities.
(3) All ordinances and resolutions, including emergency measures, shall be subject to referendum, except that the following ordinances and resolutions shall not be subject to referendum:
(a) When the Council is required to pass more than one ordinance or resolution to complete the legislation necessary to make and pay for any public improvement, the right to referendum shall apply only to the first ordinance or resolution required to be passed and not to any subsequent ordinances or resolutions relating thereto.
(b) Ordinances or resolutions providing for appropriations for the current expenses of the City, or for public improvements petitioned for by the owners of a majority of the feet front of the property benefited and to be especially assessed for the cost thereof.
(c) Ordinances and resolutions adopted as emergency measures which authorize the issuance of bonds, notes or certificates of indebtedness, or emergency ordinances and resolutions appropriating money, authorizing contracts or enacting police regulations necessitated by fire, natural disasters, riot or acts of war or insurrection.
(4) Initiative and referendum petitions shall contain or have attached thereto a statement of the names and addresses of not less than three nor more than five electors who signed the petition who are appointed to act as a committee to represent the petitioners before the Council or any other public body or court. Such statement shall be signed by each such committee member accepting the appointment. Vacancies on such committee shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of the committee.
(5) Ordinances and resolutions proposed by initiative or subjected to referendum, and rules and regulations adopted by the Parks and Recreation Board subjected to referendum, if approved by a majority of the electors voting thereon, shall become effective on the day on which the election authorities certify the official vote on the question.
(B) No ordinance or resolution repealed by Council after the filing of referendum petitions thereon shall be passed, unless by way of initiative petition and election, within six months of the repeal by the Council.