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Sec. 5.1. Advisory referendum on ordinances or charter
amendments.

The council shall have authority to order, by resolution directed
to the corporation court of the city or the judge thereof
in vacation, the submission to the qualified voters of the
city for an advisory referendum thereon any proposed ordinance
or amendment to the city charter. Upon the receipt of
such resolution, the corporation court of the city or the judge
thereof in vacation shall order an election to be held thereon
not less than thirty nor more than sixty days after the receipt
of such resolution. The election shall be conducted and the result
thereof ascertained and determined in the manner provided
by law for the conduct of general elections and by the
regular election officials of the city. If a petition requesting
the submission of an amendment to this charter, set forth in
such petition, signed by qualified voters equal in number to ten
per centum of the largest number of votes cast in any general
or primary election held in the city during the five years immediately
preceding, each signature to which has been witnessed
by a person whose affidavit to that effect is attached to
the petition, is filed with the clerk of the corporation court of
the city, he shall forthwith certify that fact to the court or
judge thereof in vacation. Upon the certification of such petition
the corporation court of the city or the judge thereof
in vacation, shall order an election to be held not less than
thirty nor more than sixty days after such certification, in
which such proposed amendment shall be submitted to the
qualified voters of the city for their approval or disapproval.
Such election shall be conducted and the result thereof ascertained


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and determined in the manner provided by law for the
conduct of general elections and by the regular election officials
of the city. If a majority of those voting thereon at such
election approve the proposed amendment such result shall be
communicated by the clerk of the corporation court of the city
to the two houses of the General Assembly and to the representatives
of the city therein with the same effect as if the
council had adopted a resolution requesting the General Assembly
to adopt the amendment.

Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as affecting
the provisions of § 14-a of this charter. (1960, c. 327;
1962, c. 332.)

Effect of amendments.—The 1960 Act added this section.

The 1962 amendment changed the procedure for verification of
signatures on petitions.