The legislative authority (which includes the Board
of County Commissioners) of any county may by a
two-thirds vote of its members, or upon petition of
eight per cent of the electors of the county as certified
by the election authorities of the county shall forthwith,
by resolution submit to the electors of the county
the question, ‘Shall a county charter commission be
chosen?” The question shall be voted upon at the next
general election, occurring not sooner than ninety-five
days after certification of the resolution to the election
authorities. The ballot containing the question shall
bear no party designation. Provision shall be made
thereon for the election to such commission from the
county at large of fifteen electors if a majority of the
electors voting on the question have voted in the affirmative.
Candidates for such commission shall be nominated
by petition of one per cent of the electors of the
county.
The petition shall be filed with the election authorities
no less than seventy-five days prior to such election.
Candidates shall be declared elected in the order of the
number of votes received, beginning with the candidate
receiving the largest number; but not more than seven
candidates residing in the same city or village may be
elected. The holding of a public office does not preclude
any person from seeking or holding membership
on a county charter commission nor does membership
on a county charter commission preclude any such
member from seeking or holding other public office,
but not more than four officeholders may be elected
to a county charter commission at the same time. The
legislative authority shall appropriate sufficient sums
to enable the charter commission to perform its duties
and to pay all reasonable expenses thereof.
The commission shall frame a charter for the county or
amendments to the existing charter, and shall, by vote
of a majority of the authorized number of members
of the commission, submit the same to the electors of
the county, to be voted upon at the next general election
next following the election of the commission.
The commission shall certify the proposed charter or
amendments to the election authorities not later than
seventy-five days prior to such election. Amendments
to a county charter or the question of the repeal thereof
may also be submitted to the electors of the county in
the manner provided in this section for the submission
of the question whether a charter commission shall
be chosen, to be voted upon at the first general election
occurring not sooner than sixty days after their
submission. The legislative authority or charter commission
submitting any charter or amendment shall,
not later than thirty days prior to the election on such
charter or amendment, mail or otherwise distribute a
copy thereof to each of the electors of the county as
far as may be reasonably possible, except that, as provided
by law, notice of proposed amendments may be
given by newspaper advertising. Except as provided
in Section 3 of this Article, every charter or amendment
shall become effective if it has been approved
by the majority of the electors voting thereon. It shall
take effect on the thirtieth day after such approval unless
another date be fixed therein. When more than one
amendment, which shall relate to only one subject but
may affect or include more than one section or part of
a charter, is submitted at the same time, they shall be
so submitted as to enable the electors to vote on each
separately. In case more than one charter is submitted
at the same time or in case of conflict between the
provisions of two or more amendments submitted at
the same time, that charter or provision shall prevail
which received the highest affirmative vote, not less
than a majority. If a charter or amendment submitted
by a charter commission is not approved by the
electors of the county, the charter commission may
resubmit the same one time, in its original form or as
revised by the charter commission, to the electors of
the county at the next succeeding general election or
at any other election held throughout the county prior
thereto, in the manner provided for the original submission
thereof.
The legislative authority of any county, upon petition
of ten per cent of the electors of the county, shall
forthwith, by resolution, submit to the electors of the
county, in the manner provided in this section for the
submission of the question whether a charter commission
shall be chosen, the question of the adoption of a
charter in the form attached to such petition.
Laws may be passed to provide for the organization
and procedures of county charter commissions, including
the filling of any vacancy which may occur,
and otherwise to facilitate the operation of this section.
The basis upon which the required number of petitioners
in any case provided for in this section shall be
determined, shall be the total number of votes cast in
the county for the office of governor at the last preceding
general election therefore.
The foregoing provisions of this section shall be selfexecuting
except as herein otherwise provided.
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