No lease of public property to any person, firm, or corporation which is not subject to revocation by the Council upon thirty days notice to the lessee shall be made or become operative until the same shall have first been referred to the people at a regular or special election and received the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the electors voting thereon. No such lease shall be approved by the Council for referral to the electorate before thirty days after application therefor has been filed with the Council, nor until a public hearing has been held thereon, nor until the lessee named therein has filed with the Clerk his unconditional acceptance of all terms of such lease. No special election for such purpose shall be ordered by the Council, unless the expense of holding such election, as determined by the Council, shall have first been paid to the Treasurer by the lessee.