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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4408n -z'I OR 7• - J� It ORDINANCE NO. 440a . AN ORDINANCE FIXING THE TIME FOR THE FILING OF INITIATIVE PETITIONS PROVIDED FOR BY INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM AMENDMENT NO. 13 TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS, AND FOR REGULATING THE PROCEDURE THEREON. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK; Section 1. All ini-tiative petitions, prop osing4ocal— measures under Amendment No. 13 to the Constitution of the State of Arkansas (appearing on pages 481 to 489, inclusive, of the General Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas of the year 1919) must be filed with the City Clerk not less than sixty days prior to the election at which they are to be voted upon. Section 2. Whenever any initiative petition is filed with the City Clerk he shall exercise due diligence in checking same as to sufficiency and if said City Clerk finds any petition to be insufficient he shall without delay -notify the sponsors of such petition and permit ten days for correction or amendment. Then the City Clerk shall report his final finding to the City Council, and if it be ascertained that such petition is signed by the requisite number of electors said Council shall direct the City Clerk to publish for one time, not less than thirty days prior to the municipal election, in some newspaper having a general circulation-in the municipality the full text of the proposed measure to be submitted to a vote of the people, together with the exact title to be used on the ballot (the cost of said publication to be borne by sponsors of said petition) and said City Council shall further direct the City Clerk to certify to the County Board of Election Commissioners, not later -than eighteen days prior to such ,H f i Page 2 — Ordinance No.!&g . municipal election, the exact title to be placed on the ballot. Such finding as to sufficiency of the petition shall be final, unless suit is brought in the Chancery Court of Pulaski County within thirty days to review such action. f I the sufficiency or any petition is challenged, the failure of the courts to decide prior to the election as to the sufficiency of any such petition shall not prevent the question from being placed upon the ballot at the election named in such petition. Section 3. If any provision of this ordinance is held to be void, it shall not affect the validity of the remainder, but the remainder shall stand. Section 4. It is hereby ascertained and declared that through oversight or neglect proper ordinance establishing procedure in handling initiative petitions has not heretofore been passed by this Council, and now that petitions have been filed with the City Clerk proposing certain ordinances to -be voted upon at the coming municipal election, thus bringing attention to the desirability and need of such enabling ordinance and creating an emergency because of the limited time existing until the next regular municipal election when the proposed measures may be voted upon; therefore in order that there may be a prompt and proper submisedon to the voters of any ordinance proposed by initiative petition,which ordinance may be necessary for the protection of the public peace, health and safety, it is hereby ascertained and declared that an' emergency now exists, making it necessary that this ordinance should take effect immediately, for the preservation of the public peace, health { . 1 A, Page 3 — Ordinance No. 44og . and safety, and this ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Passed; February 25, 1929• Attest ovedt _ -- ity Clerk.