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All legislative action by the Council shall be by ordinance or resolution introduced in written or printed form, and on the passage of each ordinance or resolution the vote shall be taken by yes's and no's and entered upon the journal.
No by-law, ordinance or resolution of a general or permanent nature, or granting a franchise, or creating a right or involving the expenditure of money or the levying of a tax, other than a resolution providing for an election on the question of issuing bonds or levying a tax, or for the purchase, lease, sale or transfer of property, shall be passed unless it has been read on three different days, and with respect to any such by-law, ordinance or resolution, there shall be no authority to dispense with this rule except by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of Council taken by yes's and no's on each by-law, ordinance or resolution and entered upon the journal. All readings shall be by title only, unless otherwise voted by a majority of the members of Council.
Ordinances or resolutions providing for the appropriation of the current expenses of the Municipality or for street improvements petitioned for by the owner of a majority of the foot front of the property benefitted and to be specially assessed for the cost thereof, and emergency ordinances or resolutions necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, or health or safety in the Municipality, shall take effect, unless a later time be specified therein, upon the signature of the Mayor, or upon the expiration of the time within which it may be disapproved by the Mayor, or upon its passage after disapproval by the Mayor, as the case may be. Such emergency ordinances or resolutions must receive the affirmative vote of two-thirds or more of the members of Council and the reason for such emergency shall be set forth in one section or a preamble of the ordinance or resolution. All other ordinances and resolutions shall take effect and be operative in the manner provided by the laws of the State of Ohio.
No action of the Council authorizing the surrender of any of its powers or in granting any franchise, or contracting for the supply to the Municipality or its inhabitants of the product or service of any utility, whether Municipally or privately-owned, or amending or repealing any zoning ordinance, or changing any ward boundaries, or authorizing any change in the boundaries of the Municipality, shall be taken as an emergency measure.
Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, the adoption, rejection, amendment, authentication and recording, time of taking effect and the signing of every ordinance, resolution, by-law or measure shall be in the same manner provided by the laws of the State of Ohio as the same apply to municipalities.
Ordinances shall be revised, codified, rearranged and published in book form under appropriate titles, chapters and sections and such revision and codification may be made in one ordinance.
(Amended November 8, 1994)
No ordinance or resolution shall contain more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title, and no ordinance or resolution shall be revised or amended unless the new ordinance or resolution contains the entire ordinance or resolution revised, or the section or sections as so amended, and the section or sections so amended shall be considered to be repealed. This requirement shall not prevent the amendment of an ordinance or resolution by the addition of new sections and in such case the full text of the ordinance or resolution need not be set forth.
An affirmative vote of four or more members of Council shall be required for the enactment of every resolution or ordinance, unless a larger number be required by the provisions of this Charter.
Except as otherwise provided by law, all ordinances, resolutions, statements, orders, proclamations, notices and reports required by Ohio law or this Charter to be published or posted shall be posted at the City Administrative Building, the Norton Branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library and the Municipality’s website.
Council shall cause each resolution and ordinance to be given public notice, commencing not later than seven days after its first reading in the event that the rule requiring three readings is not suspended, and within seven days like public notice shall be given each resolution and ordinance after its adoption and approval by the Mayor, or upon the expiration of the time within which it may be vetoed by the Mayor, or upon its passage after veto by the Mayor, as the case may be.
The Clerk of Council shall, no later than forty-eight hours before the time of a regular Council meeting, post notice of the time and place of such regular meeting on the City’s website. In the event of a special Council meeting, the Clerk of Council shall, no later than twenty-four hours before the time of a special meeting, post notice of the time, place and purposes of such special meeting on the City’s website. Upon the adjournment of any regular or special meeting to another day, the Clerk of Council shall promptly post notice of the time and place of such adjourned meeting to the Municipality’s website. In case of an emergency requiring immediate official action, the Clerk of Council shall immediately post notice of the time, place and purposes of such special meeting and the general nature of the emergency requiring immediate official action.
(Amended November 8, 2016)
Effective upon passage by the electors, the Administration and Council shall have up to sixty days to arrange for and commence public airings of all Council meetings, work sessions, and workshops. All aforementioned Council meetings shall be televised "live", in their entirety, without censorship and/or editing. Such televised broadcasts shall further be offered twice weekly during repeat airings for public accessibility. Additionally, Council shall arrange for copies of the recorded Council meetings to be available at minimum cost to the public upon request or at no cost to citizens supplying their own suitable medium for recording.
(Amended November 6, 2012)