(A) Ordinances and other measures providing for the exercise of any powers of government granted by the Constitution or delegated to the municipality by the General Assembly may be proposed by initiative petition. Such initiative petition must contain the signatures of not less than 10% of the number of electors who voted for Governor at the most recent general election for the office of Governor in the municipality.
(B) When a petition is filed with the Clerk, signed by the required number of electors proposing an ordinance or other measure, the Clerk shall, after ten days, transmit a certified copy of the text of the proposed ordinance or measure to the Board of Elections. The Clerk shall transmit the petition to the Board, together with the certified copy of the proposed ordinance or other measure. The Board shall examine all signatures on the petition to determine the number of electors of the municipality who signed the petition. The Board shall return the petition to the Clerk within ten days after receiving it, together with a statement attesting to the number of such electors who signed the petition.
(C) The Board shall submit the proposed ordinance or measure for the approval or rejection of the electors of the municipality at the next general election occurring subsequent to 90 days after the Clerk certifies the sufficiency and validity of the initiative petition to the Board. No ordinance or other measure proposed by initiative petition and approved by a majority of the electors voting upon the measure in the municipality shall be subject to the veto of the Mayor.
(D) As used in this section, CERTIFIED COPY means a copy containing a written statement attesting that it is a true and exact reproduction of the original proposed ordinance or other measure.
(R.C. § 731.28) (Rev. 2011)
(A) Any ordinance or other measure passed by the Legislative Authority shall be subject to the referendum except as provided in § 32.072. No ordinance or other measure shall go into effect until 30 days after it is passed by the Legislative Authority, except as provided in § 32.072.
(B) When a petition, signed by 10% of the number of electors who voted for Governor at the most recent general election for the office of Governor in the municipality, is filed with the Clerk within 30 days after any ordinance or other measure is filed with the Mayor or passed by the Legislative Authority, or, if the Mayor has vetoed the ordinance or any measure and returned it to the Legislative Authority, the petition may be filed within 30 days after the Legislative Authority has passed the ordinance or measure over the veto, ordering that the ordinance or measure be submitted to the electors of the municipality for their approval or rejection, the Clerk shall, after ten days, and not later than 4:00 p.m. of the 90th day before the day of election, transmit a certified copy of the text of the ordinance or measure to the Board of Elections. The Clerk shall transmit the petition to the Board, together with the certified copy of the ordinance or measure. The Board shall examine all signatures on the petition to determine the number of electors of the municipality who signed the petition. The Board shall return the petition to the Clerk within ten days after receiving it, together with a statement attesting to the number of such electors who signed the petition. The Board shall submit the ordinance or measure to the electors of the municipality, for their approval or rejection, at the next general election occurring subsequent to 90 days after the Clerk certifies the sufficiency and validity of the petition to the Board.
(C) No such ordinance or measure shall go into effect until approved by the majority of those voting upon it. The provisions of this subchapter do not prevent the municipality, after the passage of any ordinance or other measure, from proceeding at once to give any notice or make any publication required by the ordinance or other measure.
(D) As used in this section, CERTIFIED COPY means a copy containing a written statement attesting that it is a true and exact reproduction of the original ordinance or other measure.
(R.C. § 731.29) (Rev. 2011)
Whenever the Legislative Authority is required to pass more than one ordinance or other measure to complete the legislation necessary to make and pay for any public improvement, this subchapter shall apply only to the first ordinance or other measure required to be passed and not to any subsequent ordinances and other measures relating thereto. 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. 2002)
(A) Any initiative or referendum petition may be presented in separate parts, but each part of any initiative petition shall contain a full and correct copy of the title and text of the proposed ordinance or other measure, and each part of any referendum petition shall contain the number and a full and correct copy of the title of the ordinance or other measure sought to be referred. Each signer of any such petition must be an elector of the municipality in which the election, upon the ordinance or measure proposed by the initiative petition, or the ordinance or measure referred to by the referendum petition, is to be held. Petitions shall be governed in all other respects by the rules set forth in R.C. § 3501.38. In determining the validity of any such petition, all signatures which are found to be irregular shall be rejected, but no petition shall be declared invalid in its entirety when one or more signatures are found to be invalid, except when the number of valid signatures is found to be less than the total number required by this section.
(B) The petitions and signatures upon such petitions shall be prima facie presumed to be in all respects sufficient. No ordinance or other measure submitted to the electors of the municipality, and receiving an affirmative majority of the votes cast thereon, shall be held ineffective or void on account of the insufficiency of the petitions by which the submission of the ordinance or measure was procured, nor shall the rejection, by a majority of the votes cast thereon, of any ordinance or other measure submitted to the electors of the municipality, be held invalid for the insufficiency.
(C) Ordinances proposed by initiative petition and referendums receiving an affirmative majority of the votes cast thereon, shall become effective on the fifth day after the day on which the Board of Elections certifies the official vote on that question.
(R.C. § 731.31) (Rev. 2002)
(A) Whoever seeks to propose an ordinance or measure in the municipality by initiative petition or files a referendum petition against any ordinance or measure shall, before circulating the petition, file a certified copy of the proposed ordinance or measure with the Clerk.
(B) As used in this section, CERTIFIED COPY means a copy containing a written statement attesting that it is a true and exact reproduction of the original proposed ordinance or measure or of the original ordinance or measure.
(R.C. § 731.32) (Rev. 2002)
At the top of each part of the petition mentioned in § 32.074, the following words shall be printed in red:
NOTICE
Whoever knowingly signs this petition more than once, signs a name other than his or her own, or signs when not a legal voter is liable to prosecution.
(R.C. § 731.33) (Rev. 2002)
(A) The petitioners may designate in any initiative or referendum petition a committee of not less than three of their number, who shall be regarded as filing the petition.
(B) After a petition has been filed with the Clerk, it shall be kept open for public inspection for ten days.
(C) If, after a petition proposing an ordinance or other measure has been filed with the Clerk, the proposed ordinance or other measure, or a substitute for the proposed ordinance or measure approved by the committee, is passed by the Legislative Authority, the majority of the committee shall notify the Board of Elections in writing and the proposed ordinance or measure shall not be submitted to a vote of the electors.
(D) If, after a verified referendum petition has been filed against any ordinance or measure, the Legislative Authority repeals the ordinance or measure, or it is held to be invalid, the Board shall not submit the ordinance or measure to a vote of the electors.
(R.C. § 731.34) (Rev. 2002)
(A) The circulator of an initiative or referendum petition, or his or her agent, shall, within five days after the petition is filed with the Clerk, file an itemized statement, made under penalty of election falsification, showing in detail:
(1) All moneys or things of value paid, given or promised for circulating the petition;
(2) Full names and addresses of all persons to whom the payments or promises were made;
(3) Full names and addresses of all persons who contributed anything of value to be used in circulating such petitions; and
(4) Time spent and salaries earned while circulating or soliciting signatures to petitions by persons who were regular salaried employees of some person who authorized them to solicit signatures for or circulate the petition as a part of their regular duties.
(B) The statement provided for in division (A) of this section shall not be required from persons who take no other part in circulating a petition than signing declarations to parts of the petition and soliciting signatures to them.
(C) The statement shall be open to public inspection for a period of one year.
(R.C. 731.35) (Rev. 2002)
No person shall, directly or indirectly:
(A) Willfully misrepresent the contents of any initiative or referendum petition;
(B) Pay or offer to pay any elector anything of value for signing an initiative or referendum petition;
(C) Promise to help another person to obtain appointment to any office provided for by the Constitution or laws of the state or by the ordinances of any municipal corporation, or to any position or employment in the service of the state or any political subdivision thereof, as a consideration for obtaining signatures to an initiative or referendum petition;
(D) Obtain signatures to any initiative or referendum petition as a consideration for the assistance or promise of assistance of another person in securing an appointment to any office or position provided for by the Constitution or laws of the state or by the ordinances of any municipal corporation therein, or employment in the service of the state or any subdivision thereof;
(E) Alter, add to or erase any signature or name on the parts of a petition after the parts have been filed with the Clerk of the municipality; or
(F) Fail to file the sworn itemized statement required by § 32.077.
(R.C. § 731.36)
(G) Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500.
(R.C. § 731.99(A)) (Rev. 2002)
(A) No person shall accept anything of value for signing an initiative or referendum petition.
(R.C. § 731.38)
(B) Whoever violates this section shall be fined not more than $25.
(R.C. § 731.99(C)) (Rev. 2002)
(A) No person shall, directly or indirectly, by intimidation or threats, influence or seek to influence any person to sign or abstain from signing, or to solicit signatures to or abstain from soliciting signatures to, an initiative or referendum petition.
(R.C. § 731.40)
(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(R.C. § 731.99(B)) (Rev. 2002)
This subchapter will not apply to the municipality if and when it adopts its own Charter containing an initiative and referendum provision for its own ordinances and other legislative measures.
(R.C. § 731.41) (Rev. 2002)