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City solicitor: council must submit petition-backed ordinance to voters
Summary
The city solicitor told the Providence City Council that under City Charter —7209(c) the council must submit a proposed ordinance to the voters after a notarized petition reached the 5% qualified-elector threshold; the council moved to waive reading and passed item 4 by voice vote.
The Providence City solicitor told the council that a notarized referendum petition meeting the charter's signature threshold requires the council to put the petition-backed proposed ordinance before voters at the next general election.
"209 c of the charter, states that in the event that the city council shall fail to enact such proposed ordinance without amendments, and upon receipt by the city clerk of a notarized referendum petition signed by an additional 5% of the qualified electors of the city, the city council shall submit such proposed ordinance to a vote of the people of the city at the next general election," the City Solicitor said.
The solicitor emphasized that submission to the ballot is a ministerial step and not a council endorsement. "And I'll reiterate that that is not, by submitting it to the vote of the people, the council is not approving of the ordinance one way or the other," he said. The solicitor also said the Board of Canvassers confirmed the petition contained the required additional signatures and that the petition was filed within the time required under state statute.
After the solicitor's explanation, the Majority Leader moved to waive the reading of item 4 and pass it on a voice vote; the motion was seconded and carried. The clerk noted the motion passes.
