Petitioned Ordinance Referendum Submission

At a glance

• What: a citizen-petitioned ordinance that the council did not enact, which the City Charter (section 209C, as captioned) requires the council to submit to the voters at the next general election once enough qualified electors sign a notarized referendum petition.
• Where it stands: at the July 30, 2026 special meeting the city solicitor said the petitioners met the signature requirement (an additional 5% of qualified electors, confirmed by the Board of Canvassers) within the statutory time. Item 4 then passed on a voice vote with no debate, sending it toward the ballot.
• Unclear: the captions never name the ordinance or its subject, so its content and the ballot question wording are unknown. Items 5 and 6 (roll call votes of 10 ayes on item 5; 9 ayes and 1 no on item 6) may be related but are not identified in the captions.

What the solicitor said

• The vote is not support or opposition to the ordinance; it only submits the proposed ordinance to the voters, as the charter directs.
• The requirements were ministerial: the council received the proposal and did not enact it, the city clerk received a notarized referendum petition, and the Board of Canvassers confirmed the extra 5% of electors had signed.
• The final step is not elective: the charter says the council "shall" submit it.
• He had provided a memo to councilors at their request.

Discussion time

About 4 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Log

• 2026-07-30 - City Council - Solicitor explained the charter duty to submit the petitioned ordinance to voters; item 4 passed on a voice vote with no discussion.