(a) Form. Every proposed ordinance shall be introduced in writing and in the form required for final adoption. No ordinance shall contain more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title. The enacting clause shall be "The City of Westover hereby ordains...". Any ordinance which repeals or amends an existing ordinance or part of the City Code shall set out in full the ordinance, sections or subsections to be repealed or amended, and shall indicate matter to be omitted by enclosing it in brackets or by strikeout type and shall indicate new matter by underscoring or by italics.
(b) Procedure. Any and all ordinances shall be adopted, in accordance with the following requirements, except where different or additional requirements are specified by law, in which event such other different or additional requirements shall be applied.
The Council may by ordinance specify other additional requirements for the enactment of ordinances or may prescribe a procedure for the enactment of ordinances in greater detail than prescribed by this Charter, but the Council shall not, except in an emergency as specified in Section 3.14 or except as otherwise provided by law, lessen or reduce the requirements of this Charter.
(1) An ordinance may be introduced by any member at any regular or special meeting of the Council. Upon introduction of any ordinance, the City Clerk shall read fully and distinctly the purposed ordinance in its entirety, shall distribute a copy to each Council member, and shall file a reasonable number of copies in the office of the City Clerk. Codes of technical regulations need not be read aloud.
(2) A proposed ordinance shall be read by title at a second or succeeding meeting of Council with at least two weeks intervening between each meeting, unless a member demands that the ordinance be read in full at the second or succeeding meeting. If such demand is made, the ordinance shall be read in full as demanded, provided however that codes of technical regulations need not be read aloud.
(3) A proposed ordinance which raises revenues for the Municipality or imposes fees or costs shall be read by title at a third or succeeding meeting of Council with at least two weeks intervening between each meeting, unless a member demands that the ordinance be read in full at the third or succeeding meeting. If such demand is made, the ordinance shall be read in full as demanded.
(4) At least five days before the meeting at which a proposed ordinance, the principal object of which is the raising of revenue for the Municipality, is to be adopted, the Council shall cause notice of the proposed adoption of said proposed ordinance to be published as a Class I-0 legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of Article Three (Section 59-3-1 et seq.) Chapter Fifty-Nine of the West Virginia Code, and the publication area for such publication shall be the Municipality. The notice shall state the subject matter and general title or titles of such proposed ordinance, the date, time, and place of the proposed final adoption, and the place or places within the Municipality where such proposed ordinance may be inspected by the public. A reasonable number of copies of the proposed ordinance shall be kept at such place or places and be made available for public inspection. Said notice shall also advise that interested parties may appear at the meeting and be heard with respect to the proposed ordinance.
(5) The affirmative vote of four members of the Council shall be required for the adoption of an ordinance.
(6) A proposed ordinance shall not be materially amended at the same meeting at which finally adopted.
(c) The Council may adopt, by ordinance, building codes, housing codes, or any other code of technical regulations dealing with general public health, safety or welfare, or a combination of the same, or a comprehensive code of ordinances. Before any such ordinance shall be adopted, the code shall either be printed or typewritten and shall be made available to the Council at a regular meeting, and copies of such code shall be made available for public inspection. The ordinance adopting such code shall not set out said code in full, but shall merely identify the same. The vote on adoption of said ordinance shall be the same as on any other ordinance. After adoption of the ordinance, such code or codes shall be certified by the Mayor and shall be filed as a permanent record in the office of the Clerk, who shall not be required to transcribe and record the same in the ordinance book as other ordinances are transcribed and recorded. It shall not be necessary that any such ordinance, either as proposed or after adoption, be published in any newspaper, and it shall not be necessary that the code itself be so published, but before final adoption of such proposed ordinance notice of the proposed adoption of such ordinance and code shall be given by publication and public hearing as herein provided for in Section 3.13(b)(4), which notice shall also state where, within the Municipality, the code or codes will be available for public inspection.
A copy of each adopted code of technical regulations as well as of the adopting ordinance shall be authenticated and recorded by the City Clerk pursuant to subsection 3.14(a). A copy of any adopted code of technical regulations shall be made available by the City Clerk for inspection by the public.
(d) The City shall not, except in an emergency as specified in Section 3.14 or except as otherwise provided by law, have the power and authority to lessen or reduce the requirements of this section.