§ 6.9. Initiatory or Referendary Petitions.

An initiatory or a referendary petition shall be signed by not less than fifteen per cent of the registered electors of the city on the date of the last regular election prior to the filing thereof. Before being circulated for signatures, a copy of such petition shall be filed with the Clerk who shall refer the same to the City Attorney. Within fifteen days after such petition is filed with him, the City Attorney shall give his opinion on the form of such petition, and the legality of the ordinance proposed thereby if the petition be for the purpose of initiating an ordinance. Such petition may be the aggregate of two or more petition papers. Each signer of a petition shall sign his name, and shall place thereon, after his name, the date and his place of residence by street and number. To each petition paper there shall be attached a sworn affidavit by the circulator thereof, stating that each signature thereon is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be, and that it was signed in the presence of the affiant. Such petition shall be filed with the Clerk who shall, within ten days after the receipt thereof by him, canvass the signatures thereon to determine the authenticity and the sufficiency thereof. Any signatures obtained more than sixty days before the filing of such petition shall not be counted. If found to contain an insufficient number of signatures of registered electors of the city, or to be improper as to compliance with the provisions of this section, the Clerk shall notify the person filing such petition, and ten days from such notification shall be allowed for the filing of additional petition papers. Thereafter, the Clerk shall determine the authenticity and sufficiency of the signatures on such additional petitions as in the first instance. When found sufficient and proper, the Clerk shall so certify and present the petition to the Council at its next regular meeting.