Spokane Municipal Code

Title 02 Council and Legislation

Chapter 02.02 Initiative and Referendum

Section 02.02.030 Filing of Initiative Measure

1. In order to facilitate the processing of a proposed initiative measure, a petitioner shall file the proposed measure with the city clerk.

2. The proposed measure must contain the street address of the petitioner and telephone number of the petitioner or petitioner’s representative, as well as the name, street address, telephone number, email address, and state or city business registration of any signature-gathering firm commissioned by the petitioner to gather signatures for the measure.

3. The city clerk must immediately transmit a copy of the proposed measure to the city attorney.

4. Within two weeks after receiving the measure, the city attorney prepares, after consultation with the petitioner(s), a ballot title and summary of the measure and files them with the city clerk.

   1. The ballot title shall consist of:

      1. a statement of the subject measure, which must be sufficiently broad to reflect the subject of the measure, sufficiently precise to give notice of the measure’s subject matter, and not exceed ten words;

      2. a concise description of the measure, which must be a true and impartial description of the measure's essential contents; clearly identify the proposition to be voted on; to the extent reasonably possible, not create prejudice either for or against the measure; and not exceed seventy-five words. When practicable, the question posed by the ballot title is written in such way that an affirmative answer to the question and an affirmative vote on the measure would result in a change in the law; and

      3. a question.

   2. The summary of the measure should be a clear and concise statement not to exceed one hundred fifty words.

   3. Neither the ballot title nor the summary of the measure may contain language or graphic elements which are argumentative or are reasonably likely to create prejudice for or against the measure.

5. In addition to preparing the ballot title and summary of the measure, the city attorney shall review the proposed measure for such matters as form and style. The city attorney shall edit the measure as necessary to correct obvious typographical errors, conform the language to Spokane Municipal Code format and style, or eliminate ambiguity. Any such editorial revisions are made on a separate sheet from the measure as submitted and clearly identified. All editorial revisions shall be provided to the sponsor and the city clerk at the same time the city attorney files the ballot title and summary of the measure with the city clerk.

6. Upon receipt of the ballot title and summary of the measure from the city attorney, the city clerk assigns an initiative number by which the measure is identified. The city clerk affixes the ballot title and summary to the original of the proposed measure or the measure as revised pursuant to this section, inscribes the identifying number upon it and retains it in the official file.

7. The city clerk must immediately furnish a copy of the proposed measure with its ballot title and summary to the sponsor, along with the form of the petition sheet.

8. When the proposed measure, ballot title, summary, petition form, and number by which the measure is identified are all in final form such that they comply with this chapter, the city clerk shall prepare a report to the city council for the next agenda.

Date Passed: Monday, May 9, 2016

Effective Date: Saturday, June 25, 2016

ORD C35380 Section 2