Part II. Revising Or Amending A Charter.

§8-4-7. Revising or amending a charter — generally.

A special legislative charter or a charter framed and adopted or revised as a whole under the provisions of former §8A-1-1 et seq., §8-3-1 et seq., or §8-4-1 et seq. of this code, as the case may be, may be revised as a whole in like manner as a charter may be framed and adopted under the provisions of §8-4-1 et seq. of this code, except that the question submitted shall be “Shall the charter be revised as a whole by representatives of the people?”, but no such revision as a whole shall be made within four years of the effective date of such a charter or of the last preceding revision as a whole, whichever be later, as the case may be. A revision as a whole may also be initiated in the manner specified in §8-3-9 of this code or in the manner specified in said section nine considered in pari materia with the provisions of §8-3-9 of this code. If a majority of the legal votes cast on the question be in the negative or if the proposed charter revised as a whole is rejected by a majority of the legal votes cast at the election thereon, the provisions of §8-4-2 and §8-4-3 of this code relating to a negative vote on the question of framing a charter and to rejection of a proposed charter shall govern and control.

The qualified voters of a city may amend a special legislative charter or a charter framed and adopted or revised as a whole under the provisions of former §8A-1-1 et seq. of this code, §8-3-1 et seq. of this code, or under §8-4-1 et seq. of this code, as the case may be, but no amendment shall be made within one year of the effective date of such a charter or of the last preceding revision of such charter as a whole, whichever be later, as the case may be. An amendment or amendments may be initiated in the same manner provided in this article for the framing of a charter, in the manner specified in §8-3-9 of this code, or in the manner specified in said section nine considered in pari materia with the provisions of §8-4-3 of this code. The governing body of a city shall provide by ordinance for a special municipal election to pass upon a proposed charter amendment or amendments if: (1) Such governing body by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of its members shall determine and specify that a special municipal election is necessary; or (2) a petition bearing the signatures, written in their own handwriting, of 15 percent of the qualified voters of the city, if a Class I or Class II city, or 10 percent of the qualified voters of the city, if a Class III city, expressly requesting that a special municipal election be called for the purpose has been filed with the governing body more than 120 days prior to the date of the next regular municipal election. In all other cases, a proposed charter amendment or amendments shall be submitted by ordinance at the next regular municipal election. Any proposed amendment or amendments shall be set out in full in the ordinance submitting same. The date of any special municipal election for the purpose shall be fixed by the ordinance providing for same, but any such special municipal election shall be held not less than 30 nor more than 60 days after such ordinance shall have been adopted. Notice of any election at which a proposed amendment or amendments shall be voted upon shall state the date and hours thereof, and shall set out the proposed amendment or amendments at length or state that copies may be obtained by any qualified voter or any freeholder of the city from a designated person at a stated place, upon request. Such notice shall be published as in the case of a notice of an election on the question of whether a charter shall be framed, as specified in §8-4-2 of this code. A charter amendment or amendments approved, or such of them as may be approved, by a majority of the legal votes cast at the election thereon shall take effect on the date that the declaration of the results showing approval by the voters has been made by the governing body and entered in the minutes of the governing body. One copy of the amendment or amendments, together with a certified copy of the declaration of results attached thereto, shall be certified forthwith by the recorder of the city to the Clerk of the House of Delegates, as keeper of the rolls, and another to the clerk of the county commission for recording in the office of such clerk of the county commission. The same shall be preserved by said Clerk of the House of Delegates as an authentic public record. After the effective date of an amendment or amendments so filed, all courts shall take judicial notice of such amendment or amendments.

If a majority of the legal votes cast at the election thereon be against any amendment, such proposed amendment shall not be submitted again, without a petition of the qualified voters as provided for in §8-4-1(b) of this code considered in pari materia with the provisions of this section, for at least one year.