Title
Resolution to Order Election and to Determine Ballot Question for Charter Amendment to Authorize Publication of Ordinances by Alternate Means and Methods Except Where Publication is Specified by State Law
Body
Whereas, The Ann Arbor City Code provides in Section 7.3(d) that a zoning ordinance or an amendment or revision thereof shall be published in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the City;
Whereas, The Ann Arbor City Code provides in Section 7.4(a)(1) and (2) that after enactment each ordinance shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the City;
Whereas, City Council recognizes that the original intent of these provisions was to provide notice of Council actions by the most effective means available;
Whereas, Methods of communication and forms of media have altered materially since the adoption of these provisions and similar provisions in State law;
Whereas, Except in cases where statutory provisions govern the mode and manner of publication, the manner of publishing City ordinances is a matter of purely municipal concern;
Whereas, It is in the best interest of the City of Ann Arbor to be prepared to use the most effective and efficient means of reaching the greatest number of its residents which may not always be by newspaper publication as it is currently defined;
RESOLVED, That the Ann Arbor City Council propose that Sections 7.3(d) and 7.4(a) of the City Charter be amended as follows:
Introduction, Consideration, and Style of Ordinances
Section 7.3
(d) A zoning ordinance or an amendment or revision thereof shall be published in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the City or any other media otherwise permitted by law, and opportunity for a public hearing allowed thereon before final action is taken by the Council.
Publication of Ordinances
Section 7.4
(a) Each ordinance shall be published within ten days after its enactment in one of the following two methods:
(1) The full text thereof...
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