Whenever the Council receives a certified initiative or referendum petition from the City Secretary, it shall proceed at once to consider such petition. A proposed initiative ordinance shall be read, and provision shall be made for a public hearing upon the proposed ordinance. The Council shall take final action on the ordinance not later than sixty (60) days after the date on which such ordinance was submitted to the Council by the City Secretary. A referred ordinance shall be reconsidered by the Council, and its final vote upon such reconsideration shall be upon the question, "Shall the ordinance specified in the referendum petition be repealed?"
If the Council shall fail to pass an ordinance proposed by the initiative petition, or shall pass it in a form different from that set forth in the petition therefor, or if the Council fails to repeal a referred ordinance, the proposed or referred ordinance shall be submitted to the voters on one of the uniform election dates as specified in the V.T.C.A., Election Code, as amended from the date the Council takes its final vote thereon. The Council may, in its discretion, and if no regular election is to be held within such period, provide for a special election. Special election laws as set out in the V.T.C.A., Election Code, as amended shall be applicable to, and control in all such elections.
Ordinances submitted to vote of the voters in accordance with the initiative and referendum provisions of this Charter shall be submitted by ballot title, which shall be prepared in all cases by the City Attorney, but it shall be finally approved by the City Council. The ballot title may be different from the legal title of any such initiated or referred ordinance and shall be a clear, concise statement, without argument or prejudice, descriptive of the substance of such ordinance and if a paper ballot is used, it shall have below the ballot title the following propositions, one above the other in the order indicated: "FOR THE ORDINANCE" and "AGAINST THE ORDINANCE," Any number of ordinances may be voted on at the same election, and may be submitted on the same ballot, but any paper ballot used for voting on an initiated or referred ordinance or ordinances shall be for that purpose only. If voting machines are used, the ballot title of any ordinance shall have below it the same two (2) propositions, one above the other or one preceding the other in the order indicated, and the voter shall be given an opportunity to vote for either of the two (2) propositions and thereby to vote for or against the ordinance.