* * * sixty days, after the adoption of the ordinance aforesaid, or the presentation of said petition to said council, or other legislative body; Candidates for election as members of said Board of freeholders shall be nominated by petition, substantially in the same manner as may be provided by general laws for the nomination by petition of electors of candidates for public offices to be voted for at general elections. It shall be the duty of said board of freeholders, within one hundred and twenty days after the result of such election shall have been declared by said council, or other legislative body, to prepare and propose a charter for said city, which shall be signed in duplicate by the members of said board of freeholders, or a majority of them, and be filed, one copy in the office of the city clerk of said city, and the other in the office of the county recorder of the county in which said city is situated. Said council, or other legislative body, shall, thereupon, cause said. proposed charter to be published, for at least ten times, in a daily newspaper of general circulation, printed, published and circulated in said city. * ** Such proposed charter shall be submitted by said council, or other legislative body, to the qualified electors of said city, at a special election held not less than twenty days, nor more than forty after the completion of such publication; provided, that if a general municipal election shall occur in said city not less than twenty days, nor more than forty days, after the completion of such publication, then such proposed charter may be submitted at such general election.. If a majority of such qualified electors voting thereon at such general or special election shall vote in favor of such proposed charter, it shall be deemed to be ratified, and shall be submitted to the legislature, if it be in regular session, otherwise at its next regular session, or it may be submitted to the legislature in extraordinary session, for its approval or rejection as a whole, without power of alteration or amendment. Such approval may be made by concurrent resolution, and if approved by a majority vote of the members elected to each house, such charter: shall become the charter of such city. * * * The charter, so ratified, may be amended by proposals therefor submitted by the council, or other legislative body of the city, to the qualified electors thereof at a general or special municipal election held at intervals of not less than two years. * * * If a majority of such qualified electors voting thereon at such general or special election shall vote in favor of any such proposed amendment or amendments, or any amendment or amendments proposed by petition, as hereinafter provided, such amend 12 D. OF C. ment or amendments shall be deemed to be ratified, and shall be forthwith submitted to the legislature, * * * and if ap proved by the legislature, as herein provided for the approval of the charter, such charter shall be amended accordingly. *** Whenever a petition signed by fifteen per centum of the qualified electors of the city, * * * to submit any proposed amendment or amendments to the charter of such city, which amendment or amendments shall be set forth in full in such petition, to the qualified electors thereof, * * * said council, or other legislative body, must submit the amendment or amendments set forth in said petition to the qualified electors of said city, at a general or special municipal election, held not less than twenty nor more than forty days after the completion of the publication of such proposed amendment or amendments. * * * In submitting any such charter, amendment or amendments thereto, any alternative article or proposition may be presented for the choice of the electors, and may be voted on separately without prejudice to others. Mo. A 9, S 16. Any city having a population of more than one hundred thousand inhabitants may frame a charter for its own government, consistent with and subject to the constitution and laws of this state, by causing a board of thirteen freeholders, who shall have been for at least five years qualified voters thereof, to be elected by the qualified voters of such city at any general or special election; which board shall, within ninety days after such election, return to the chief magistrate of such city a draft of such charter, signed by the members of such board or a majority of them. Within thirty days thereafter, such proposed charter shall be submitted to the qualified voters of such city, at a general or special election, and if foursevenths of such qualified voters voting thereat shall ratify the same, it shall, at the end of thirty days thereafter, become the charter of such city, and supersede any existing charter and amendments thereof. A duplicate certificate shall be made, setting forth the charter proposed and its ratification, which shall be signed by the chief magistrate of such city and authenticated by its corporate seal. One of such certificates shall be deposited in the office of the secretary of state, and the other, after being recorded in the office of the recorder of deeds for the county in which such city lies, shall be deposited among the archives of such city, and all courts shall take judicial notice thereof. Such charter, so adopted, may be amended by a proposal therefor, made by the law-making authorities of such city, published for at least thirty days in three newspapers of largest circulation. in such city, one of which shall be a newspaper printed in the German language, and accepted by three-fifths of the qualified voters of such city, voting at a general or special election, and not otherwise; but such charter shall always be in harmony with and subject to the constitution and laws of the state. S 17. It shall be a feature of all such charters that they shall provide, among other things, for a mayor or chief magistrate, and two houses of legislation, one of which at least shall be elected by general ticket; and in submitting any such charter or amendment thereto to the qualified voters of such city, any, alternative section or article may be presented for the choice of the voters, and may be voted on separately, and accepted or rejected separately, without prejudice to other articles or sections of the charter or any amendment thereto. Okla. A 18, S 3a. Any city containing a population of more than two thousand inhabitants may frame a charter for its own government, consistent with and subject to the constitution and laws of this state, by causing a board of freeholders, composed of two from each ward, who shall be qualified electors of said. city, to be elected by the qualified electors of said city, at any general or special election, whose duty it shall be within ninety days after such election, to prepare and propose a charter for such city, which shall be signed in duplicate by the members of such board or a majority of them, and returned, one copy of said charter to the chief executive officer of such city, and the other to the register of deeds of the county in which said city shall be situated. Such proposed charter shall then be published in one or more newspapers published and of general circulation within said city, for at least twenty-one days, if in a daily paper, or in three consecutive issues, if in a weekly paper, and the first publication shall be made within twenty days after the completion of the charter; and within thirty days, and not earlier than twenty days after such publication, it shall be submitted to the qualified electors of said city at a general or special election, and if a majority of such qualified electors voting thereon shall ratify the same, it shall thereafter be submitted to the governor for his approval, and the governor shall approve the same if it shall not be in conflict with the constitution and laws of this state. Upon such approval it shall become the organic law of such city and supersede any existing charter and all amendments thereof and all ordinances inconsistent with it. A copy of such charter, certified by the chief executive officer, and authenticated by the seal of such city, setting forth the submission of such charter to the electors and its ratification by them, shall, after the approval of such charter by the governor, be made in dup licate and deposited, one in the office of the secretary of state, and the other, after being recorded in the office of said register of deeds, shall be deposited in the archives of the city; and thereafter all courts shall take judicial notice of said charter. The charter so ratified may be amended by proposals therefor, submitted by the legislative authority of the city to the qualified electors thereof (or by petition as hereinafter provided) at a general or special election, and ratified by a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon, and approved by the governor as herein provided for the approval of the charter. S 3b. An election of such board of freeholders may be called at any time by the legislative authority of any such city, and such election shall be called by the chief executive officer of any such city within ten days after there shall have been filed with him a petition demanding the same, signed by a number of qualified electors residing within such city, equal to twentyfive per centum of the total number of votes cast at the next preceding general municipal election; and such election shall be held not later than thirty days after the call therefor. At such election a vote shall be taken upon the question of whether or not further proceedings toward adopting a charter shall be had in pursuance to the call, and unless a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon shall vote to proceed further, no further proceeding shall be had, and all proceedings up to that time shall be of no effect Mich. A 8, S 20. The legislature shall provide by a general law for the incorporation of cities, and by a general law for the incorporation of villages; such general laws shall limit their rate of taxation for municipal purposes, and restrict their powers of borrowing money and contracting debts. S 21. Under such general laws, the electors of each city and village shall have power and authority to frame, adopt and amend its charter, and, through its regularly constituted authority, to pass all laws and ordinances relating to its municipal concerns. subject to the constitution and general laws of this state. XIII. FINANCE AND TAXATION. ferred on General As sembly. OHIO A 12, S 4. The general assembly shall provide for 1. Power Conraising revenue, sufficient to defray the expenses of the state, for each year, and also a sufficient sum to pay the interest on the state debt. (1) Similar provisions are found in the following states: Ariz. A 9, S 3; Ark. A 16, S 2; Colo. A 10, S 2; Fla. A 9, S 2; Ga. Michigan A 10, S 2. The legislature shall provide for an annual tax sufficient with other resources to pay the estimated expenses of the state government, the interest on any state debt and such deficiency as may occur in the resources. No Ohio provision. Arizona A 9, S I. The power of taxation shall never be surrendered, suspended or contracted away. (1) Similar provisions: * * * Ark. A 16, S 7; Cal. A 13, S 6; Ga. A 4, S 1; Par. 1; Idaho A 7, S 8; (2) Applies only to tax on corporations in the following states: No Ohio provision. Alabama A II, S 211. Cal. A 11, S 13; Colo. A 5, S 35; Ga. A 4, S 1, P. 1; Pa. A 3, S 20. Arizona A 9, S 6. Incorporated cities, towns and villages |