Within ten days from the date of the filing of said petition with the City Clerk, it shall be the duty of such Clerk to ascertain, by comparison of said petition with the registration records of the City of Southgate, whether or not such petitions contain the requisite number of signatures of registered electors as the same appear on the registration records of the City, and following such examinations, the Clerk shall attach to such petition his certificate showing the result of such examination. If the certificate of the Clerk so attached shows the petition to be insufficient, he shall, within ten days, cause notice in writing, setting forth the fact that such petitions are found to be insufficient, to be served upon one or more of the persons designated in the certificate attached by him to said petition as the persons who filed said petition in his office. Additional signatures properly verified as hereinbefore provided, may be filed with the Clerk at any time within fifteen days from the date of the service of such notice. The City Clerk shall attach his certificate to such additional petitions and shall cause them to be entered in the record book as herein provided to be done when the original petitions are filed. The Clerk shall within five days after the filing of such additional petitions make like comparisons of the additional signatures with the registration books and attach thereto his certificate of the result. If the number of signatures are still shown to be insufficient, or if no additional signatures are so filed, the Clerk shall, upon demand, return the petition to any of the persons designated as filing it, without prejudice, however, to the filing of a new petition for the same purpose. Whenever the petition shall be found by the City Clerk to be sufficient, he shall so certify, and submit the same with his certificate to the Council at its next regular meeting.
At such next regular meeting the Council shall proceed to consider such petition, including the form and purpose of the ordinance thereto attached. If such ordinance be not legal, in form or otherwise, the Council shall so declare by resolution and shall direct the Clerk to return said petition immediately to any of the persons designated as filing it, without prejudice to filing a new petition for the same purpose. If the Council, upon consideration, finds such ordinance legal, then it may provide for public hearings on such ordinance; and, if it deems the same advisable, shall pass such ordinance within four weeks from the day of the filing of such petition with the City Clerk. If the Council finds such petition and ordinance legal and does not pass such ordinance within the time herein limited, it shall, within two weeks after its failure to pass such ordinance, provide for the submission of such ordinance to the qualified electors of the City at the next election, occurring more than thirty days thereafter, at which questions or propositions submitted by the Council may be voted upon by the electors; but no special election shall ever be called by the Council for the purpose of referendum only.