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(A) Generally. In general, except for emergency ordinances as provided in Charter Section 311(B), or otherwise required by law, ordinances shall be adopted in a two-step process. First, the City Council must approve the introduction of an ordinance. Second, no sooner than five days thereafter, the City Council shall again consider the proposed ordinance and take final action to adopt or reject it. In the event that any ordinance is altered after its initial introduction, the same shall not be finally adopted except at a meeting held not less than five days after the date upon which such ordinance was so altered. The correction of typographical or clerical errors shall not constitute the making of an alteration for purposes of this Charter Section 311.

(B) Emergency Ordinances. Any ordinance declared by the City Council to be necessary as an emergency measure for preserving the public peace, health, safety, and general welfare and containing a statement of the reasons for its urgency, may be introduced and adopted at one and the same meeting if passed by at least a four-fifths vote of the Council.

(C) Publication of Ordinances. Within fifteen days after its passage, the City Clerk shall cause each ordinance to be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation published and circulated in the City, or if there is none, the Clerk shall cause it to be posted or published as otherwise allowed in accordance with State law. The City Clerk may satisfy the requirement to publish each ordinance by causing a fair and impartial summary of the ordinance to be published within fifteen days after the ordinance’s adoption and making a copy of the full ordinance available in the office of the City Clerk. Each fair and impartial summary to be published shall be approved as to form by the City Attorney.

(D) Codification of Ordinances. The City shall create and maintain a comprehensive code of the local laws and rules that have been adopted by ordinance governing the conduct of the City, and the conduct of City businesses, residents and visitors within the City (“Municipal Code”). The Municipal Code may be amended, and any such amendment must be approved by ordinance. The Municipal Code may incorporate other codes, or portions thereof, including statutes or published compilations of rules, regulations or standards adopted by the federal, State, or County government or by any agency of any of them. Nationally recognized or approved published compilations of proposed rules, regulations or standards of any private organization or institution, may also be incorporated by reference into the Municipal Code in accordance with the provisions of this Charter Section 311.

At least one physical copy of the Municipal Code shall be maintained in the Office of the City Clerk and made available for use and examination by the public. Copies of such code, or any provision(s) thereof, duly certified by the City Clerk, shall be received without further proof as prima facie evidence of the provisions of such code in all courts and administrative tribunals of this State.

(E) Effective Date of Ordinances. Ordinances shall take effect thirty days after their final adoption except where otherwise required by applicable law, and except for the following which shall take effect upon adoption:

(1) An ordinance calling or otherwise relating to an election;

(2) An improvement proceeding ordinance adopted under State or local law or procedural ordinance;

(3) An ordinance declaring the amount of money necessary to be raised by taxation, or fixing the rate of taxation, or levying the annual tax upon property; or

(4) An emergency ordinance adopted in the manner provided for in this Article.

(F) Amendment of Ordinances. The amendment of any ordinance, or any section or sections of an ordinance, may be accomplished solely by the adoption of another ordinance. Where such amendment relates to a section or sections of the Municipal Code, it shall be effected through the reenactment of such section or sections at length as amended.