CHARTER OF THE CITY OF LAYTON, FLORIDA #134
As adopted by Ordinance 91-12-01, ratified by referendum January 2002. Amended by Ordinance 2003-07-01,ratified by Referendum September 2003
ARTICLE I - CREATION AND POWERS
S1.01 - Creation and Powers
The City of Layton was created on September 18, 1963 and has all governmental, corporate and propriety powers to enable it to conduct municipal government, perform municipal functions and render municipal services, and may exercise any power for municipal purposes except as otherwise provided by law.
S1.02 - Construction
The powers of the City shall be construed liberally in favor of the City, limited only by the constitution, general law and specific limitations contained herein. Future special acts pertaining to the jurisdiction and exercise of powers by this City shall be considered amendments to this charter and, pursuant to the provisions adopted for incorporation of other charter amendments, shall be incorporated as official amendments to the charter:
ARTICLE II - CORPORATE LIMITS
S2.01 - Description of Corporate Limits
The corporate limits of the City of Layton shall remain unaffected by the adoption of this charter.
ARTICLE III - LEGISLATIVE
S3.01 - City Council, Powers, Composition
There shall be a City Council with all legislative powers of the City vested therein consisting of five (5) members who shall be electors of the City, elected by the electors of the City.
S3.02 - Qualifications
Any person who has been an elector of the City for a period of at least six (6) months prior to an election shall be eligible to hold the office of City Council member. Further, council members shall remain electors of the City during their term and shall reside in the City at least six (6) months in any twelve (12) month period. The council shall be the Judge of the election and qualifications of its members and of the grounds for forfeiture of their office. A member charged with conduct constituting grounds for forfeiture of office shall be afforded a public hearing before the council. The time, place and purpose of such hearing shall be published in one (1) or more newspapers of general circulation in the City at least one (1) week in advance of the hearing.
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S3.03 - Election and Terms
(a) Election. The regular election of City council members shall be held in the manner provided in Article V of this charter and shall be for two (2) year terms. The five council seats shall be numbered one (1) through five (5). Election to terms for seats one (1), three (3) and five (5) shall be held in odd numbered years. Election to terms for seats two (2), four (4), and the office of Mayor shall be held in even numbered years. The month and day of elections shall be established by ordinance.
(b) Term. Council members shall be elected for a term of two (2) years, and shall serve until a successor is elected.
S3.04 - Compensation and Expenses. The council may establish by ordinance monetary compensation for council members and the Mayor. However, an ordinance shall not be needed to reimburse Council members for costs incurred for carrying out their duties.
S3.05 – Vacancies The office of a council member shall become vacant upon his/her death, resignation, entry upon the office of Mayor, or removal from office in any manner authorized by law, or the forfeiture of his/her office, such forfeiture to be declared by the remaining members of the council.
S3.06 - Forfeiture of Office A council member shall forfeit his/her office if he/she:
(1). Lacks at any time during his/her term of office any qualifications for the office prescribed by this charter or by law, or;
(2). Violates any standard of conduct or code of ethics established by law for public officials, such violation to be determined by the remaining members of the council.
S3.07 - Filling of Vacancies
(a). In the event a vacancy occurs on the council, then the council shall by a majority vote of the remaining members, appoint a successor to serve the remainder of the term. However, if six (6) or more months remain in the term of the vacated seat at the time of the next City Election, the person appointed by the Council shall serve on an interim basis, and the seat shall be filled at the next City Election for the remainder of the term in the manner prescribed in Article V. Notwithstanding any quorum requirements established herein, if at any time the remaining membership of the council is reduced to less than a quorum, the remaining members may by majority vote, appoint additional members as prescribed herein.
(b). Extraordinary Vacancies. In the event that all members of the council are removed by death, disability, or forfeiture of office, the governor shall appoint an interim council that shall call a special election that shall be held within three (3) months of the Council’s convening, and such election shall be held in the same manner as the first election under this charter.
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S3.08 - City Clerk The council shall appoint a City Clerk. The City Clerk shall give notice of council meetings to its members and the public and shall keep the journal of its proceedings which shall be a public record. The Mayor may also prescribe additional duties and responsibilities of the Clerk.
S3.09 - Procedure
(a) Meetings. The council shall schedule regular meetings to be held at least once in every month at such time and place as the council may prescribe by rule. Special meetings may be held on the call of the Mayor or a majority of the council, and, whenever practicable, upon no less than twenty four (24) hours notice to each member, the press, and public.
(b) Rules and Journal. The council shall determine its own rules and the Mayor shall set the order of business for each meeting.
(c ) Voting. Voting, on ordinances and resolutions, shall be by roll call and shall be recorded in the journal. A majority of the council shall constitute a quorum; but a smaller number may adjourn from time to time and may compel the attendance of absent members in the manner and subject to the penalties prescribed by the rules of the council- No action of the council except as otherwise provided in the preceding sentence and in S3.07, shall be valid or binding unless adopted by the affirmative vote of the majority of a quorum present.
S3.10 - Initiative and Referendum
(l) (a) Initiative. The qualified voters of the City shall have power to propose ordinances to the council and, if the council fails to adopt an ordinance so proposed without any change in substance, to adopt or reject it at a City election, provided that such power shall not extend to the budget or capital program or any ordinance relating to appropriation of money, levy or taxes or salaries of City officers or employees.
(b) Referendum. The qualified voters of the City shall have power to require reconsideration by the council of any adopted ordinance and, if the council fails to repeal an ordinance so reconsidered, to approve or reject it at a City election, provided that such power shall not extend to the budget or capital program or any emergency ordinance or ordinance relating to appropriation of money, levy of taxes or salaries of City officers or employees.
(2) Commencement of Proceedings. Any five (5) qualified voters may commence initiative or referendum proceedings by filing with the City Clerk or other official designated by the council, an affidavit stating they will constitute the petitioner’s committee and be responsible for circulating the petition
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and filing it in the proper form, stating their names and addresses and specifying the address to which all notices to the committee are to be sent, and setting out in full the proposed initiative ordinance or citing the ordinance sought to be reconsidered. Promptly after the affidavit of the petitioners’ committee is filed, the clerk or other official designated by the council may, at the committee’s request, issue the appropriate petition blanks to the petitioners’ committee at the committee’s expense.
(3)Petitions.
(a) Number of Signatures. Initiative and referendum petitions must be signed by twenty five (25) qualified voters of the City, or twenty five percent (25‘%) of the total number of qualified voters registered to vote at the last regular City election, whichever is greater.
(b) Form and Content. All papers of a petition shall be uniform in size and style and shall be assembled as one instrument for filing. Each signature shall be executed in indelible pencil and shall be followed by the local street address and the person signing. Petitions shall contain the full ordinance proposed or sought to be reconsidered.
(c) Affidavit of Circulator. Each paper of a petition shall have, attached to it when filed, an affidavit executed by the circulator thereof stating that he/she personally circulated the paper, the number of signatures thereon, that all the signatures were affixed in his/her presence, that he/she believes them to be the genuine signature of the persons whose name they purport to be and that each signer had the opportunity before signing to read the full text of the ordinance proposed or sought to be reconsidered.
(d) Time for Filing Referendum Petitions. Referendum petitions must be filed within thirty (30) days after adoption by the council of the ordinance sought to be reconsidered, and in the case of initiatives, within thirty (30) days of the committee’s filing an affidavit with the City described in (2) above.
(4) Procedure for Filing.
(a) Certificate of Clerk Amendment. Within thirty (30) days after an initiative or referendum petition is filed, the City clerk or other official designated by the council shall complete a certificate as to its sufficiency, specifying, if it is insufficient, the particulars wherein it is defective and shall promptly send a copy of the certificate to the petitioners’ committee by registered mail. Grounds for insufficiency are only those specified in subsection (3). A petition certified insufficient for lack of the required number of valid signatures may be amended once if the petitioners’ committee files a notice of intention to amend it with the clerk or other official designated by the council within two (2) days after receiving the copy of
the certificate and files a supplementary petition upon additional papers within ten (10) days after receiving the copy of such certificate. Such supplementary petition shall comply with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of S3-10(3), and within ten (10) days after it is filed the clerk or other official designated by the council shall complete a certificate as to the sufficiency of the petition as amended and promptly send a copy of such certificate to the petitioners’ committee by registered mail as in the case of an original petition. If a petition or amended petition is certified insufficient and the petitioner’s committee does not elect to amend or request council review under subsection (b) of this section within the time required, the clerk or other official designated by the council shall promptly present his/her certificate to the council and the certificate shall then be a final determination as to the sufficiency of the petition.
(b) Council Review. If a petition has been certified insufficient and the petitioner’s committee does not file notice of intention to amend it or if an amended petition has been certified insufficient, the committee may, within two (2) days after receiving the copy of such certificate, file a request that it be reviewed by the council. The council shall review the certificate at its next meeting following the filing of such request and approve or disapprove it, and the council’s determination shall then be a final determination as to the sufficiency of the petition.
(5) Referendum Petitions; Suspension of Effect of Ordinance.
When a referendum petition is filed with the City Clerk or other official designated by the council, the ordinance sought to be reconsidered shall be suspended from taking effect. Such suspension shall terminate when:
(a) There is a final determination of insufficiency of the petition, or;
(b) The petitioner’s committee withdraws the petition, or;
(c) The council repeals the ordinance, or;
(d) After a vote of the City on the ordinance has been certified.
(6) Action of Petitions.
(a) Action by Council. When an initiative or referendum petition has been finally determined sufficient, the council shall promptly consider the proposed initiative ordinance in the manner provided in Article III or reconsider the referred ordinance by voting its repeal. If the council fails to adopt a proposed initiative ordinance without any change in substance within sixty (60) days or fails to repeal the referred ordinance within sixty (60) days, it shall submit the proposed or referred ordinance to the voters of the City.
(b) Submission to Voters. The vote of the City on a proposed or referred ordinance shall be held not less than thirty (30) days and not later than sixty (60) days from the date that the petition was determined sufficient. If no regular City election is to be held within the period described in this subsection, the council shall provide for a special election, except that the council may, in its discretion, provide for a special election at an earlier date within the described period. Copies of the proposed or referred ordinance shall be made available at the polls.