All powers herein vested in the City of Negaunee under this Charter may be exercised by the use of the initiative and referendum, and any official elected under this Charter maybe recalled by the use of the initiative as hereinafter provided, except that only elective officials may be recalled.
(a) All initiatory and referendary proceedings shall originate by a petition and an initiatory or a referendary petition shall be signed by registered qualified electors of the City in number equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the highest vote cast for any Councilmember at the last regular City election prior to the filing of the petition. No such petition need be on one sheet of paper, but may be the aggregate of two or more sheets of paper. Each signer of a petition shall sign his or her name in ink or pencil and shall place thereon, after his or her name, the date and his or her place of residence by street and number, or by other customary designation. To each sheet of such petition there shall be attached a sworn affidavit by the circulator thereof, stating the number of signers thereto and that each signature thereon is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be,.and that it was made in the presence of the affiant. Any such petition shall be filed with the City Clerk who shall, within ten (10) days, determine the sufficiency thereof and so certify. If found to contain an insufficient number of qualified electors of the City, or to be improper as to form or compliance with the provisions of this section, then ten (10) days shall be allowed for the filing of supplemental petition papers. When found sufficient and proper, the City Clerk shall present the petition to the Council, at its next regular meeting.
(b) Upon receiving a certified initiatory or referendary petition from the City Clerk, the Council shall, within thirty (30) days, either:
(1) If it be an initiatory petition, adopt the ordinance or resolution;
(2) If it be a referendary petition, repeal the ordinance or resolution; or
(3) In either case, determine to submit the proposal to the electors. However, upon the certification of an initiatory petition providing for the recall of any elective official, it shall be the duty of the Council to submit such proposal to the electors, as herein provided. The result of the submission to the electors of any proposal herein provided for shall be determined by a majority vote of the electors voting thereon, except in cases otherwise required by law or this Charter.
(c) Should the Council decide to submit1 the proposal to the electors, it shall be submitted at the next election held in the City for any other purpose or, in the discretion of the Council, at a special election.
(d) Any ordinance or resolution adopted by the electorate through initiatory proceedings may not be amended or repealed by the Council for a period of two (2) years thereafter, and any ordinance or resolution repealed by the electorate through referendary proceedings may not be readopted in substance by the Council for a period of two (2) years thereafter. Any elective official recalled by the procedure herein provided for shall be ineligible to be a candidate for any Municipal office for at least a year after the date of the election resulting in his or her recall.
(e) The use of the initiative and referendum as herein provided shall not alter, affect or impair contractual rights of persons or parties dealing with the City, vested at the time of the filing of any initiatory or referendary petition. However, any ordinance or resolution, including those purporting to vest any contractual rights in any persons or parties dealing with the City, shall be automatically suspended by the filing with the City Clerk, within twenty (20) days after the enactment of such ordinance or resolution, of a referendary petition relating to such ordinance or resolution as herein provided, and such ordinance or resolution shall continue suspended until repealed by the Council or final determination by the electors, as the case may be.