Printed copies of the ordinances and resolutions of the municipality, published under its authority, and transcripts of any resolutions or ordinances, or of any act or proceeding of the municipality, recorded in any book or entered on any minutes or journal kept under the direction of the municipality, and certified by the Clerk, shall be received in evidence throughout the state for any purpose for which the original books, ordinances, minutes or journals would be received.
(R.C. § 731.42) (Rev. 2002)
(A) The following procedures shall apply to the passage of ordinances and resolutions of the municipality:
(1) Each ordinance and resolution shall be read by title only, provided that the Legislative Authority may, by a majority vote of its members, require any reading to be in full.
(2) Each ordinance or resolution shall be read on three different days, provided that the Legislative Authority may dispense with this rule by a vote of at least three-fourths of its members.
(3) The vote on the passage of each ordinance or resolution shall be taken by yeas and nays and entered upon the journal.
(4) Each ordinance or resolution shall be passed, except as otherwise provided by law, by a vote of at least a majority of all the members of the Legislative Authority.
(B) Action by the Legislative Authority, not required by law to be by ordinance or resolution, may be taken by motion approved by at least a majority vote of the members present at the meeting when the action is taken.
(R.C. § 731.17) (Rev. 2002)
The style of all ordinances shall be: “Be it ordained by the [Legislative Authority] of [municipality], State of Ohio.”
(R.C. § 731.18) (Rev. 2002)
No ordinance or resolution shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title. No ordinance or section thereof shall be revived or amended unless the new ordinance contains the entire ordinance or section revived or amended and unless the ordinance or section so amended is repealed. Each such resolution and ordinance shall be adopted or passed by a separate vote of the Legislative Authority and the yeas and nays shall be entered upon the journal.
(R.C. § 731.19) (Rev. 2002)
Ordinances and resolutions shall be authenticated by the signature of the Presiding Officer and Clerk of Council of the municipality. A succinct summary of ordinances of a general nature or providing for improvements shall be published as provided by §§ 32.045 and 32.047 before going into operation. No ordinance shall take effect until the expiration of ten days after the first publication of the notice. As soon as a resolution or ordinance is passed and signed, it shall be recorded by the Clerk in a book furnished by the Legislative Authority for that purpose.
(R.C. § 731.20) (Rev. 2012)
(A) (1) A succinct summary of each municipal ordinance or resolution and all statements, orders, proclamations, notices and reports required by law or ordinance to be published, shall be published using at least one of the following methods:
(a) In a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality;
(b) On the official public notice web site established under R.C. § 125.182;
(c) On the web site and social media account of the municipality.
(2) Proof of the publication shall be made by affidavit of the proprietor of the newspaper or the operator of the official public notice web site, as applicable, and shall be filed with the Clerk of the Legislative Authority.
(B) The publication shall contain notice that the complete text of each such ordinance or resolution may be obtained or viewed at the office of the Clerk of the Legislative Authority and may be viewed at any other location designated by the Legislative Authority. The Legal Counsel of the municipality shall review the summary of an ordinance or resolution published under this section before forwarding it to the Clerk for publication, to ensure that the summary is legally accurate and sufficient.
(C) Upon publication of a summary of an ordinance or resolution in accordance with this section, the Clerk of the Legislative Authority shall supply a copy of the complete text of each such ordinance or resolution to any person, upon request, and may charge a reasonable fee, set by the Legislative Authority, for each copy supplied. The Clerk shall post a copy of the text at the Clerk’s office and at every other location designated by the Legislative Authority.
(R.C. § 731.21) (Rev. 2024)
In accordance with Section 9 of Article XVIII of the Ohio Constitution, notice of proposed amendments to the municipal Charter, if and when one is adopted by and for the municipality, shall be given in one of the following ways:
(A) Not less than 30 days prior to the election at which the amendment is to be submitted to the electors, the Clerk of the municipality shall mail a copy of the proposed Charter amendment to each elector whose name appears upon the poll or registration books of the last regular or general election held therein.
(B) The full text of the proposed Charter amendment shall be published once a week for not less than two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality or as provided in R.C. § 7.16, with the first publication being at least 15 days prior to the election at which the amendment is to be submitted to the electors.
(R.C. § 731.211) (Rev. 2012)
The publication required in § 32.045 shall be for the following times:
(A) Summaries of ordinances or resolutions, and proclamations of elections, once a week for two consecutive weeks;
(B) Notices, not less than two nor more than four consecutive weeks;
(C) All other matters shall be published once.
(R.C. § 731.22) (Rev. 2024)
(A) When ordinances are revised, codified, rearranged, published in book form and certified as correct by the Clerk of the Legislative Authority and the Mayor, such publication shall be a sufficient publication, and the ordinances so published, under appropriate titles, chapters and sections, shall be held the same in law as though they had been published in accordance with § 32.045. A new ordinance so published in book form, a summary of which has not been published as required by §§ 32.045 and 32.047 and which contains entirely new matter, shall be published as required by those sections. If the revision or codification is made by the municipality and contains new matter, it shall be a sufficient publication of the codification, including the new matter, to publish, in the manner required by such sections, a notice of the enactment of the codifying ordinance, containing the title of the ordinance and a summary of the new matters covered by it. This revision and codification may be made under appropriate titles, chapters and sections and in one ordinance containing one or more subjects.
(B) Except as provided by this section, a succinct summary of all ordinances, including emergency ordinances, shall be published in accordance with § 32.045.
(R.C. § 731.23) (Rev. 2024)
(A) The Legislative Authority may adopt standard ordinances and codes, prepared and promulgated by the state, or any department, board or other agency thereof, or any code prepared and promulgated by a public or private organization which publishes a model or standard code, including but not limited to codes and regulations pertaining to fire, fire hazards, fire prevention, plumbing, electricity, buildings, refrigeration machinery, piping, boilers, heating or air conditioning, by incorporation by reference.
(B) The publication required by §§ 32.045 through 32.050 shall clearly identify the code, shall state the purpose of the code, shall state that a complete copy of the code is on file with the Clerk of the Legislative Authority for inspection by the public and also on file in the County Law Library and that the Clerk has copies available for distribution to the public at cost. If the Legislative Authority amends or deletes any provision of the code, the publication shall contain a brief summary of the deletion or amendment.
(C) If the agency which originally promulgated or published the code thereafter amends the code, the Legislative Authority may adopt such amendment or change by incorporation by reference in an amending ordinance by the same procedure as required for the adoption of the original code, without the necessity of setting forth in full in the amending ordinance the provisions of the original ordinance or code.
(D) Ordinances or codes adopted by the municipality under this section shall be deemed to be a full and complete compliance with §§ 32.045 through 32.051, and no other publication is necessary.
(R.C. § 731.231) (Rev. 2024)
Immediately after the expiration of the period of publication of summaries of ordinances required by § 32.047, the Clerk of the Legislative Authority shall enter on the record of ordinances, in a blank to be left for that purpose under the recorded ordinance, a certificate stating in which manner and on what dates the publication was made, and shall sign the Clerk’s name thereto officially. Such certificate shall be prima facie evidence that legal publication of the summary of the ordinance was made.
(R.C. § 731.24) (Rev. 2024)
It is a sufficient defense to any suit or prosecution under an ordinance, to show that no publication or posting was made as required by §§ 32.045 through 32.050.
(R.C. § 731.25) (Rev. 2024)
Ordinances or other measures providing for appropriations for the current expenses of the municipality, or for street improvements petitioned for by the owners of a majority of the feet front of the property benefitted and to be especially assessed for the cost thereof, and emergency ordinances or measures necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety in the municipality, shall go into immediate effect. Such emergency ordinances or measures must, upon a yea and nay vote, receive a two-thirds vote of all the members elected to the Legislative Authority, and the reasons for the necessity shall be set forth in one section of the ordinance or other measure.
(R.C. § 731.30) (Rev. 2024)