Sec. 1. Petition authorized; number of signatures.

Any proposed ordinance may be submitted to the mayor and council, by a petition signed by fifteen (15) percent of the qualified electors of the city, computed on the vote for the candidates for mayor at the last preceding general municipal election at which a mayor was elected.

Sec. 2. Form of initiative petition.

Any proposed ordinance, desired to be submitted to the mayor and council, shall be presented upon a petition substantially in the following form:

   "Tucson, Arizona ....

   To the Clerk of the City of Tucson:

   We, the undersigned, residents of the City of Tucson, Arizona, and duly qualified electors therein, do hereby submit and propose to you, for adoption, the following ordinance, and request that action be taken by you relative to the adoption or rejection of such proposed ordinance, at the earliest possible moment, and that the same be forthwith submitted to a vote of the people, to-wit:

   (Here insert the proposed ordinance in full.)

   Name of signer ____ Ward No. ________

   Address ____ Date ________

   STATE OF ARIZONA,

   )

   ) ss.

   COUNTY OF PIMA,

   )

   ________, being first duly sworn, on oath deposes and says that ________ is a resident and duly qualified elector of the City of Tucson, Arizona; that the signatures appearing hereinabove are the genuine signatures of the persons whose names they bear, and that each and all of them are residents and duly qualified electors of the City of Tucson; that the names of the persons procuring the said petition and who should be notified of all proceedings and action taken in reference to such petition, are (here insert the names of three (3) persons, and their addresses).

Subscribed and sworn to before me this ________ day of ________, 19 ________.

   Notary Public, Pima County, Arizona

   ____

   My Commission expires:

   ____

   State Law References: See additional restrictions, Arizona Constitution, article 4, part 1, § 1(9), regarding requirement that electors must sign in the presence of circulator of petition.

Sec. 3. Provisions relative to recall applicable to initiative.

The provisions of chapter XXI of this Charter, insofar as they relate to the method of filing with, examination and certification by, the clerk, reference of petition to the mayor and council, and notification of presenters of said petition by the clerk, as therein set out, relative to petitions for the recall of officers, shall apply to petitions for initiative and the submission of any proposed ordinance.

Sec. 4. Mayor and council to either adopt ordinance or call election.

If the petition accompanying the proposed ordinance be signed by electors equal in number to fifteen (15) percent of the entire vote cast for all candidates for mayor at the last preceding general municipal election at which a mayor was elected, and contains a request that said ordinance be forthwith submitted to the vote of the people at the special election, then the mayor and council shall either:

   (a)   Pass said ordinance, without alteration, within twenty (20) days after the attachment of the clerk's certificate to the sufficiency of the accompanying petition, (subject to a referendary vote, under the provisions of chapter XX of this Charter); or

   (b)   Within twenty-five (25) days after the clerk shall have attached to the petition accompanying such ordinance his certificate of sufficiency, the mayor and council shall proceed to call a special election, at which said ordinance without alteration shall be submitted to the vote of the people.

Sec. 5. Printing and publication of propositions required to be submitted to voters.

Whenever any ordinance or proposition is required by this Charter to be submitted to the voters of the city at any election, the mayor and council shall order such ordinance or proposition to be printed in the official newspaper of the city, and published in like manner as ordinances adopted by the mayor and council are required to be published.

   Cross References: Publication of ordinances, ch. IX, § 8.

Sec. 6. Form of ballots; proclamation of results of election.

The ballots used in voting upon such proposed ordinance, shall contain a complete copy of such proposed ordinance, together with the words "yes" or "no," in such manner that the electors may express at the polls their approval or disapproval of the measure, substantially as follows:

(Insert the ordinance or other questions to be voted upon:

(________) Yes (________) No

If, upon the completion of the canvass of the vote cast, it shall be found in favor of the ordinance, the mayor shall forthwith issue a proclamation, giving the whole number of votes cast for or against the ordinance, and declare such ordinance, as approved by a majority of those voting thereon, to be effective and operative.