Arizona Constitution|Section 5 - Charter committee; charter preparation; approval

                                                




 5.  Charter committee; charter preparation; approval
Section 5.  A.  The board of supervisors of any county with a
      population of more than five hundred thousand persons as determined by the
      most recent United States decennial or special census may call for an election
      to cause a charter committee to be elected by the qualified electors of that
      county at any time.  Alternatively, the board of supervisors of any county
      with a population of more than five hundred thousand persons as determined by
      the most recent United States decennial or special census shall call for the
      election of the charter committee within ten days after receipt by the clerk
      of the board of supervisors of a petition that demands the election and that
      is signed by a number of qualified electors of the county at least equal to
      ten per cent of the total number of ballots cast for all candidates for
      governor or presidential electors in the county at the last preceding general
      election.  The election shall be held at least one hundred days but not more
      than one hundred twenty days after the call for the election.  Except as
      otherwise provided in this section, for elections held under this section or
      section 6 of this article, the manner of conducting and voting at an election,
      contesting an election, canvassing votes and certifying returns shall be the
      same, as nearly as practicable, as in elections for county officers.

      B.  At the election a vote shall be taken to elect members of the
      charter committee who will function if further proceedings are authorized and
      the ballot shall contain the question of whether further proceedings toward
      adopting a charter shall be authorized pursuant to the call for the
      election.  Unless a majority of the qualified electors voting on the question
      votes to authorize further proceedings, the election of members of the charter
      committee shall be invalidated and no further proceedings may be had except
      pursuant to a subsequent call pursuant to subsection A.

      C.  The charter committee shall be composed of fifteen qualified
      electors of the county elected by supervisorial district with the same number
      serving from each district.  A nomination petition for election to the charter
      committee shall be made available by the clerk of the board of supervisors and
      shall be signed by a number of qualified electors of the supervisorial
      district who are eligible to vote for the nominee at least equal to one per
      cent of the total number of ballots cast for all candidates for governor or
      presidential electors in the supervisorial district at the last preceding
      general election, and filed with the clerk not later than sixty days before
      the election.  All qualified electors of the county, including all elected
      public officials, are eligible to seek election to the charter committee.

      D.  Within one hundred eighty days after the election the charter
      committee shall prepare and submit a proposed charter for the county.  The
      proposed charter shall be signed by a majority of the members of the committee
      and filed with the clerk of the board of supervisors, after which the charter
      committee shall be dissolved.  The county shall then publish the proposed
      charter in the official newspaper of the county at least once a week for three
      consecutive weeks.  The first publication shall be made within twenty days
      after the proposed charter is filed with the clerk of the board of
      supervisors.

      E.  At least forty-five days but not more than sixty days after final
      publication, the proposed charter shall be submitted to the vote of the
      qualified electors of the county at a general or special election.  If a
      general election will be held within ninety days after final publication, the
      charter shall be submitted at that general election.  The full text of the
      proposed charter shall be printed in a publicity pamphlet and mailed to each
      household containing a registered voter at least eleven days before the
      charter election and the ballot may contain only a summary of the proposed
      charter provisions.  The ballot shall contain a question regarding approval of
      the proposed charter and the questions pertaining to taxation authority and
      appointment of officers, if any, provided for in sections 7 and 8 of this
      article.

      F.  If a majority of the qualified electors voting ratifies the proposed
      charter, a copy of the charter, together with a statement setting forth the
      submission of the charter to the qualified electors and its ratification by
      them, shall be certified by the clerk of the board of supervisors and shall be
      submitted to the governor for approval.  The governor shall approve the
      charter within thirty days after its submission if it is not in conflict with,
      or states that in the event of a conflict is subject to, this constitution and
      the laws of this state.  On approval, the charter becomes the organic law of
      the county, and certified copies of the charter shall be filed in the office
      of the secretary of state and with the clerk of the board of supervisors after
      being recorded in the office of the county recorder.  Thereafter all courts
      shall take judicial notice of the charter.