THEODORE R. McKELDIN, GOVERNOR                     379

PALITY. An emergency ordinance shall become effective on the
date specified in the ordinance, but no ordinance shall become effective
until approved by the mayor or passed over his veto by the council.

15.   (Veto.) All ordinances passed by the council shall be prompt-
ly delivered by the clerk-treasurer to the mayor for his approval
or disapproval. If the mayor approves any ordinance, he shall sign
it. If the mayor disapproves any ordinance, he shall not sign it.
The mayor shall return all ordinances to the clerk-treasurer within
six days after delivery to him (including the days of delivery and
return and excluding Sunday) with his approval or disapproval.
Any ordinance approved by the mayor shall be law. Any ordinance
disapproved by the mayor shall be returned with a message stating
the reasons for his disapproval. Any disapproved ordinance shall
not become a law unless subsequently passed by a favorable vote of
four-fifths of the whole council within thirty-five calendar days
from the time of the return of the ordinance. If the mayor fails
to return any ordinance within six days of its delivery as aforesaid,
it shall be deemed to be approved by the mayor and shall become
law in the same manner as an ordinance signed by him.

16.    (Referendum.) If, before the expiration of twenty calendar
days following approval of any ordinance by the mayor or passage
of any ordinance over the mayor's veto, a petition is filed with the
clerk-treasurer containing the signatures of not less than

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TWENTY PER CENTUM (20%) of the qualified
voters of the town and requesting that the ordinance, or any part
thereof, be submitted to a vote of the qualified voters of the town
for their approval or disapproval, the council shall be required to
have the ordinance, or the part thereof requested for referendum, sub-
mitted to a vote of the qualified voters of the town at the next regular
town election or, in the council's discretion, at a special election occur-
ring before the next regular election. No ordinance, or the part
thereof requested for referendum, shall become effective following the
receipt of such petition until and unless approved at the election by a
majority of the qualified voters voting on the question. An emergency
ordinance, or the part thereof requested for referendum, shall con-
tinue in effect for sixty days following receipt of such petition. If the
question of approval or disapproval of any emergency ordinance,
or any part thereof, has not been submitted to the qualified voters
within sixty days following receipt of the petition, then the opera-
tion of the ordinance, or the part thereof requested for referendum,
shall be suspended until approved by a majority of the qualified
voters voting on the question at any election. Any ordinance, or
part thereof, disapproved by the voters, shall stand repealed. The
provisions of this section shall not apply to any ordinance, or part
thereof, passed under the authority of Section 62, levying property
taxes for the payment of indebtedness, but the provisions of this
section shall apply to any ordinance, or any part thereof, levying
special assessment charges under the provisions of Sections 92 and
93. The provisions of this section shall be self-executing, but the
council may adopt ordinances in furtherance of these provisions and
not in conflict with them.

17.    (File of Ordinances.) Ordinances shall be permanently filed
by the clerk-treasurer and shall be kept available for public inspec-
tion.