Council hears call to restrict emergency ordinances after resident and council concern

Union — Council on Feb. 9 fielded requests to re-examine the City Charter and curtail the frequent use of emergency ordinances, with at least one council member urging protections for the public's referendum rights.

Councilmember Mrs. Black asked Council to consider amending the Charter to bar rezoning and TIF-related ordinances from being enacted as emergency measures and urged officials to avoid time pressures that force emergency passage. "Are we actually delegating our legislative power to give citizens their constitutional right?" she asked.

Resident Christy Daugherty separately requested forming a citizen work group to review and propose Charter amendments that would preserve referendum rights for zoning actions and other significant legislative changes. Daugherty also inquired about the Parliament Place final plat; City Manager John Applegate said final plans were received Thursday at 5:00 p.m. and are under review by staff and the City engineer for stormwater concerns.

Applegate and Law Director Joseph Moore replied that state law and practical deadlines — for example, Board of Elections timetables related to ballot measures — sometimes make emergency enactments necessary. Moore told Council that courts generally defer to a legislative body's determination of emergency when legitimate reasons exist and said he would provide the court's decision in a recent suit involving Parliament Place at a future meeting. No Charter amendment or ordinance was adopted at the Feb. 9 meeting.