ORD 83-02 IMPOSING OR ALTERNATING CERTAIN TAXESORDINANCE NO. 83 - 02
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF WINSLOW, WASHINGTON,
ADOPTING A SPECIAL INITIATIVE PROCEDURE APPLI-
CABLE TO ORDINANCES IMPOSING OR ALTERING CERTAIN
TAXES.
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WINSLOW, WASHINGTON, DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Every ordinance imposing or altering an excise
tax under Sec. 17(2), Ch. 49, Laws of 1982, 1st Ex. Sess.; every
ordinance imposing or altering an excise tax on the sale of real
property under Sec. 11(2) of that chapter; and every ordinance first
imposing, or increasing the rate of, a business and occupation tax
shall be subject to a special initiative procedure as provided in
this ordinance.
Section 2. An initiative petition proposing to repeal a tax
ordinance referred to in Sec. 1 of this ordinance may be filed at
any time. The petition shall be filed with the City Council signed
by a number of registered voters equaling at least fifteen percent
of the total number of persons listed as registered voters within
the City on the day of the last preceding municipal general election.
Upon the filing of such a petition the City Council shall either:
(1) Pass the proposed ordinance without alteration within
twenty days after the City Clerk's certification that the number of
signatures on the petition are sufficient; or
(2) Immediately after the Clerk's certificate of sufficiency
is attached to the petition, cause to be called a special election
as provided by state law for submission of the proposed ordinance
without alteration to a vote of the people.
Pending an election, the tax ordinance subject to the special
initiative shall remain in effect and the tax shall continue to be
collected until the result of the election repealing the ordinance
is declared or certified as provided by state law.
Section 3. The special initiative petition shall include
a proposed ordinance repealing the existing tax ordinance and shall
be as follows:
ORDINANCE NO. 83-02
Page Two
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF WINSLOW,
WASHINGTON, REPEALING ORDINANCE NO.
AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
Be it enacted by the voters of the City of Winslow, Washington~
Section 1. Ordinance No.
Washington, adopted
repealed.
of the City of Winslow,
· 19 , is hereby
Section 2. This ordinance shall take effect on the
first day of the calendar quarter which begins 30
days or more after the effective date of the appro-
val of the Special Initiative by the City Council
or on the first day of the calendar quarter which
begins 30 days or more after the certification of
the results of the election at which the Special
Initiative was approved by voters.
Official Signature
Section 4. Every signer to a petition submitting a proposed
ordinance to the City Council shall add to the signature the signer's
place of residence giving street and number. The signatures need
not all be appended to one paper, but one of the signers on each
paper must attach thereto an affidavit stating the number of signa-
tures thereon, that each signature thereon is a genuine signature
of a person whose name it purports to be and that the statements
therein made are true as such person believes.
Section 5. Within ten days from the filing of a petition
submitting a proposed ordinance the City Clerk shall ascertain and
append to the petition a certificate stating whether or not it is
signed by a sufficient number of registered voters, using the regis-
tration records and returns of the preceding municipal election as
the sources of information, and the City Council shall allow extra
help for that purpose, if necessary. If the signatures are found
by the Clerk to be insufficient, the petition may be amended in that
respect within ten days from the date of the certificate. Within ten
days after submission of the amended petition the Clerk shall make
an examination thereof and append a certificate thereto in the
same manner as before. If the second certificate shall also show
the number of signatures to be insufficient, the petition shall be
returned to the person filing it.
ORDINANCE NO. 83-02
Page Three
Section 6. If the Clerk finds the petition insufficient or
if the City Council refuses either to pass an initiative ordinance
or order an election thereon, any taxpayer may commence an action
in the superior court against the City and procure a decree ordering
an election to be held in the City for the purpose of voting upon
the proposed ordinance if the court finds the petition to be
sufficient.
Section 7. Publication of notice, the election, the canvass
of the returns and declaration of the results, shall be conducted
in all respects as are other city elections. Any number of
proposed ordinances may be voted on at the same election, but there
shall not be more than one special election for the purpose during
any one six-months period unless otherwise provided by state law.
Section 8. The Clerk shall cause any ordinance required to
be submitted to the voters at an election to be published once in each
of the daily newspapers in the City not less than five nor~ more than
twenty days before the election. If no daily newspaper is published
in the City, publication shall be made in each of the
weekly newspapers published in the City not less than five nor more
than twenty days before the election. The publication required by
this section shall be in addition to the notice required in
Ch. 29.27 RCW.
Section 9. The ballots used for voting upon the proposed
ordinance initiated by petition shall be similar to those used at a
general municipal election in the City of Winslow, Washington,
and shall contain the words "for the ordinance" (stating the nature
of the proposed ordinance) and "against the ordinance"(stating the
nature of the proposed ordinance).
Section 10. If a majority of votes cast thereon favor the
proposed ordinance initiated by petition, it shall become effective
on the first day of the calendar month following the month in which
the election is officially certified, or a later date specified
in the proposed ordinance in conformity with state law, and shall be
made a part of the record of ordinance of the City.
Section 11. Upon the adoption of an ordinance initiated by
petition, the Clerk shall write on the margin of the record thereof,
ORDINANCE NO. 33-02
Page Four
"Ordinance by Petition No. _ ", or "Ordinance by vote
of the people".
Section 12. This ordinance shall be applicable to all
tax ordinances referred to in Section 1 of this ordinance enacted
on or after April 20, 1982.
~ection 13. Section 6 of Ordinance No. 82-38 is hereby
repealed.
Section 14. This ordinance shall take effect five (5)
days after posting it in the manner provided by law.
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Winslow, Washington this
ATTEST:
Clerk/Treasurer
ALICE B. TAWRESEY
Mayor
Approved as to form:
Thomas M. Walsh
City Attorney