(1) Any proposed ordinance, including ordinances for repeal of existing ordinances, may be submitted to the Town Council by a petition, signed by at least fifteen (15%) percent of the total number of registered voters in the Town. All petitions circulated with respect to any proposed ordinance shall be uniform in character and shall contain the proposed ordinance in full. Such petitions shall have printed or written thereon the name of five (5) electors who shall be officially regarded as filing the petition, and who shall constitute a committee of the petitioners for purposes hereinafter named. Each signer of the petition shall sign his name in ink and shall place on the petition opposite his name, the date of his signature. The signatures to any such petition need not be appended to one (1) paper, but to each such paper shall be attached an affidavit by the circulator thereof, stating the number of signers to such part of the petition and that each signature appended to the paper is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be, and that it was made in the presence of the affiant on the date indicated.
(2) All papers comprising an initiative petition shall be assembled and filed with the Town clerk as one instrument within forty-five (45) days of the date of the first signature thereon. The Town clerk shall thereupon submit such instrument to the Town Council at its next regular meeting, and provisions shall be made by the Town Clerk for public hearings upon the proposed ordinance. Notice of such proposed ordinance and the public hearings thereon shall be provided as required by general law.
(3) The Town council shall at once proceed to consider such petition, and shall take final action thereon within forty-five (45) days after the date of submission. The Town council of five (5) electors who shall be officially regarded as filing the petition, and who shall constitute a committee of the petitioners for purposes hereinafter named. Each signer of the petition shall sign his name in ink and shall place on the petition opposite his name, the date of his signature. The signatures to any such petition need not be appended to one (1) paper, but to each such paper shall be attached an affidavit by the Circulator thereof, stating the number of signers to such part of the petition and that each signature appended to the paper is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be, and that it was made in the presence of the affiant on the date indicated.
If the Town council rejects any of the provisions of the proposed ordinance, as set forth in the petition, the Town Clerk shall at once cause notice of the filing of such petition and the refusal of the Town Council to pass said ordinance to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town of Palm Shores, and the Town Council shall at once proceed to submit the passage of the ordinance to the vote of the qualified electors of the Town. If a regular or special election is to be held in the Town, not earlier than thirty (30) days, nor later than sixty (60) days, the ordinance shall be submitted to the voters at such election; otherwise an election shall be called for submission within sixty (60) days after the refusal of the Town Council to pass said ordinance. At least ten (10) days before such election, the Town Clerk shall cause the text of the ordinance to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town.
(4) Referendum elections on initiative ordinances shall be provided for and in the same manner as other elections of the Town. The ballot for such initiative ordinance shall be in substantially the following form:
“FOR THE ORDINANCE __________
AGAINST THE ORDINANCE __________”