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Res. 2255 - Referring to Electors Question of Amending Charter; Adopting Ballot title;and Explanatory Statement
COUNCIL BILL NO. 3286 RESOLUTION NO. 2255 A RESOLUTION REFERRING TO THE ELECTORS OF THE CITY OF WOODBURN THE QUESTION OF AMENDING THE CITY OF WOODBURN CHARTER; ADOPTING A BALLOT TITLE AND EXPLANATORY STATEMENT; AND AUTHORIZING ALL STEPS NECESSARY TO EFFECTUATE THIS RESOLUTION WHEREAS, under Article X1, Section 2 of the Oregon Constitution, the City of Woodburn has "home rule" authority over the civil affairs of the City; and WHEREAS, Article Xl of the Oregon Constitution and ORS Chapters 250 and 251 authorize the City to refer a matter to voters to amend the City Charter; and WHEREAS, on March 24, 2025, the Council voted to adopt resolution No. 2248 to formally establish the City of Woodburn Charter review Committee; and WHEREAS, the Charter Review Committee met in several noticed public meetings to review the current Charter and deliberate on changes, updates, and modernization of the Woodburn Charter; and on May 30, 2025, the Committee then voted to recommend a package of amendments to the City Council for referral to the voters at the November 2025 election; and WHEREAS, the Woodburn City Council would like to now refer the proposed Charter Amendment matter to the electors of Woodburn; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The Ballot Title attached in Exhibit A shall be referred to the legal voters of the City of Woodburn, Marion County, Oregon, at the election on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Section 2. The measure election hereby called shall be held in the City of Woodburn on the 4th day of November, 2025. The election shall be conducted by the Marion County Elections Department by mail and in conformance with ORS Chapter 254. Section 3. The Explanatory Statement for the measure, attached in Exhibit B, shall be submitted for inclusion in the voters' pamphlet as provided in ORS 251 .345. Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 Section 4. The Ballot Title and Explanatory Statement adopted by this Resolution shall be filed: with the City Elections Officer. The City Elections Officer and staff are authorized and directed to fake all necessary steps for and on behalf of the City to effectuate this Resolution, including providing public notice and submitting required materials to the County Elections Officer to cause the measure to appear on the ballot for f he November 4, 2025, election and to otherwise carry out the intent and purpose of this Resolution. Section 5. The Act, containing the full Charter amendment herein referred, is attached hereto as Exhibit C and incorporated into this Resolution by reference. /"/L,'�5 Approved as to form: 12V City Atf hey Date' Approved: Frank Lonerg , ,Mayor Passed by the Council Submitted to the Mayor Vs I/ &I Approved by f he Mayor .V &-�- Filed in the Office of the Recorder 1 d1d 41-5 ATTEST: WAD pu/0 Heather Pierson, City Recorder Page I - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 EXHIBIT A BALLOT TITLE CAPTION (10-word maximum) City of Woodburn Charter Modernization Amendment QUESTION (20-word maximum) Shall the City of Woodburn amend the existing Charter to modernize, update, and clarify Charter provisions? SUMMARY (175-word maximum) The Woodburn Charter establishes the governmental structure for the City. This measure amends the City of Woodburn Charter of 1982. Amendments to the Charter would be as follows: • Change the City Administrator title to City Manager, modify certain powers and duties allocated between the Manager and Mayor, authorize the Council to waive the City Manager residency requirement, and grant appointment and removal authority to fhe Manager Pro Tem; • Change the election of the Council President to the first meeting in .January following the biennial election; • Add an emergency contingency for regular Council meetings; • Add a restriction that to qualify for elected office, such person cannot be a spouse or immediate family member of a regular full-time City employee; • Modernize text to closely mirror the current League of Oregon Cities Model Charter; • Remove sections fhat are not legally enforceable or are covered by state statute; and • Remove gender specific or binary pronouns. This measure was referred to the voters by fhe Woodburn City Council based on the recommendation of the Charter Review Committee. Page 1 --- Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 EXHIBIT B EXPLANATORY STATEMENT (500 word maximum) The City of Woodburn Charter sets out the organizational structure, powers, functions, and procedures of the city government. The Oregon Constitution grants "the legal voters of every city and town ... [the] power to enact and amend their municipal charter." The Woodburn Charter was last reviewed and amended in 1982. The Woodburn City Council convened a Charter Review Committee to provide input on proposed changes and updates for the Charter. The Committee was comprised of six members, including current and past elected officials of the City and the Executive Director for the Woodburn Area Chamber of Commerce. The Committee met several times in noticed public meetings to develop its recommendations. As part of its work, the Committee studied other city charters, as well as model charters from the League of Oregon Cities and the National Civic League. The Charter Review Committee recommended that the foundational pieces of Woodburn's current city government remain the same; keeping the same form of government and number of city councilors, maintaining the councilor ward system, and making no change in how laws are passed. If passed, the proposed Charter amendments would generally include: • Changing the City Administrator title to City Manager (Section 21 and references throughout the Charter); • Modifying certain powers and duties allocated between the City Manager, Mayor, and City Council, including granting the City Manager the exclusive duty of appointing, supervising, and removing all City employees, except the municipal judge and city attorney, and distinguishing the Manager's administrative role from the Mayor's role as the political head of the City (Sections 20 and 21); • Giving the City Council authority to waive the City Manager residency requirement (Section 21 ); • Granting appointment and removal authority of city employees to the Manager Pro Tem (Section 21 ); • Changing the election of the Council President from the first meeting in December to the first meeting in January following the biennial election (Section 18); • Adding contingency language for emergencies that prevent the Council from holding its regular monthly meeting (Section 13); Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 • Adding a restriction that to qualify for elected office, such person cannot be a spouse or immediate family member of a regular full-time City employee (Section 12); • Updating and modernizing text throughout the Charter to closely mirror the current League of Oregon Cities Model Charter (Sections 3, 8, 13, 15, 25, 30, 31, 32, 38, 40); • Removing or modifying sections in the Charter that are not enforceable or are covered by state statute, including state public records and meetings, elections, and budget law (Section 13, 21, 38, 40); and • Removing gender specific, exclusive, or binary pronouns in the Charter and when possible, replacing the pronoun with the title or position from the same sentence or section (Sections 12, 13, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 31, and 33). If the ballot measure does not pass, Woodburn would retain its current city charter. Full text of the proposed Woodburn Charter amendment is on file at Woodburn City Hall and is available at: https://woodburn-or.gov. Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 EXHIBIT C WOODBURN CHARTER AMENDMENT COMPLETE MEAUSURE TEXT If a majority of eligible voters vote "yes" on the herein referred measure, the City of Woodburn Charter will be amended as follows, with sfrikethreyg4 text deleted, and bold text added. These amendments would take effect January 1 , 2026. WOODBURN CHARTER CHAPTER I NAME5 AND BOUNDARIE5 Section 1. TITLE OF ENACTMENT. This enactment may be referred to as the City of Woodburn Charter of 4-9-K 2026. Section 2. NAME OF CITY. The municipality of the City of Woodburn, Marion County, Oregon, shall continue to be a municipal corporation with the name"City of Woodburn." Section 3. BOUNDARIES. The city shall include all territory within its boundaries as they now exist or are legally modified. The city will maintain as a public record an accurate and current description of the boundaries CHAPTER 11 PAS Section 4. POWERS OF THE CITY. The city shall have all powers which the constitutions, statutes, and common law of the United States and of this state expressly or impiiedly grant or allow municipalities, as fully as though this charter specifically enumerated each of those powers. Section 5. CONSTRUCTION OF CHARTER. In this charter, no mention of a particular power shall be construed to be exclusive or to restrict the scope of the powers which the city would have if the particular power were not mentioned. The charter shall be liberally construed to the end that the city may have all Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 powers necessary or convenient for the conduct of its municipal affairs, including all powers that cities may assume pursuant to state laws and to the municipal home rule provisions of the state constitution. CHAPTER III FORM QF NMEN Section G. WHERE POWERS VESTED. Except as this charter provides otherwise, all powers of the city shall be vested in the council. Section 7. COUNCIL. The council shall be composed of six councilors. The city shall be apportioned into six wards for nomination and election of councilors. The Council of Woodburn shall alter the ward boundaries to maintain an equal population distribution not less than once every ten years. Section 8. COUNCILORS. The GeURGilGF; iR effiee at the time this c"�;is years. The term of a councilor in office when this charter is adopted is the term for which the councilor was elected. At each biennial general election after the adoption, three councilors will be elected for four-year terms. Section 9. MAYOR. At each biennial general election, a mayor shall be elected from the city at large for a term of two years. Section 10. ADMINISTRATOR MANAGER, JUDGE, CITY ATTORNEY, AND OTHER OFFICERS. Additional officers of the city shall be a ity manager, a municipal judge, and a city attorney, each of whom the council shall appoint, and such other officers as the council deems necessary. The council may combine any two or more appointive offices, except the offices of Git„ adminisfrGter city manager and judge, or the offices of city attorney and judge. The municipal judge shall not be subject in judicial functions to supervision by any other officer. Section 11. SALARIES. The compensation for the services and legitimate expenses of the mayor and councilors and each city officer and employee shall be the amount fixed by the council. Section 12. QUALIFICATION OF OFFICERS. No person shall be eligible for an elective office of the city unless at the time of his F he election, hem-tee the person is a qualified elector within the meaning of the state constitution and has resided in the city during the twelve months immediately preceding the election. Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 Persons shall not be eligible for election as councilor unless at the time of his or her election, the person is a resident of the ward from which he—er she they are elected. The council shall be the final judge of the qualifications and the election of the mayor and its own members. No person who is an employee of the city of Woodburn, nor is a spouse or immediate family member of a regular fun-time city employee, shall hold elective office of the city while ah empleyee of the Gity. No former mayor or councilor may be employed by the city in any capacity for at least one (1 ) year after leaving office. CHAPTER IV COUNCIL Section 13. MEETINGS. The council shall hold a regular meeting at least once each month in the city at a time and at a place which it designates, unless an emergency or other extenuating circumstance prevents the council from meeting. It shall adopt rules for the government of its members and proceedings. The mayor upon 4�s their own motion may, or at the request of three members of the council shall, the-city,call a special meeting of the council in accordance with the rules and laws of the State of Oregon Section 14. QUORUM. A majority of the incumbent members of the council shall constitute a quorum for its business, but a smaller number may meet and compel the attendance of absent members in a manner provided by ordinance. Section 15. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS. A record of council meetings must be kept in a manner prescribed by the council rules and the laws of the state of Oregon. Section 16. PROCEEDINGS TO THE PUBLIC. No action by the council shall have legal effect unless the motion for the action and the vote by which it is disposed of take place at proceedings open to the public. Section 17. MAYOR'S FUNCTIONS AT COUNCIL MEETINGS. The mayor shall be chairnnen of the council and preside over its deliberations. The mayor shall vote only in case of a tie. The mayor shall have the authority to preserve order, enforce rules of the council, and determine the order of business under the rules of the council. Section 18. PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL. At its first regular meeting of the Page I -- Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 year moRth following a biennia[ general election, the council by ballot shall elect a president from its membership. In the mayor's absence from a council meeting, the president shall preside over it. Whenever the mayor is unable to perform the functions of office, the president shall act as mayor. In any event, the president of the council shall retain the right to vote as a councilor. Section 19. VOTE REQUIRED. Except as this charter otherwise provides, the concurrence of a majority of the members of the council present at a council meeting shall be necessary to decide any question before the council. CHAPTER V POWEELA_HD DUTIES FI E Section 20. MAYOR. The ayGT shGII be Fe.c-eqR4ed Gs the ciGl heGd ^4 GhG49F. The mayor serves as the political head of the city government but shall have no administrative duties. The mayor shall appoint the committees of the council as provided by the rules of the council. The mayor shall appoint orremove the members of the boards, committees, and commissions as provided by ordinance. The mayor shall sign all records of proceedings approved by the council. After the council approves a bond of a city officer or a bond for license, contract, or proposal, the mayor shall endorse the bond. The mayor shall, from time to time, communicate to the council such information and recommend such measures as, in '�,�,s or h e their opinion, may tend to the improvement of the finances, the protection, the health, the security, the ornament, the comfort, the administrative management and the general welfare and prosperity of the city. The mayor shall establish a cooperative arrangement to interact between the council and the manager, to assist in the interpretation of the council's objectives so that the implementation of the council's actions will derive the greatest benefit to the city. This does not preclude the manager discussing problems with council members. All ordinances and resolutions shall, before they take effect, be presented to the mayor. if the mayor approves thereof, heave the mayor shall sign the same, and such as he Gr she the mayor shall not sign shall be returned to the council with written objections thereto, by depositing the same with the city recorder to be presented to the council at their next regular meeting thereafter. Upon the return of any ordinance or resolution by the mayor, the vote by which the some was passed shall be deemed to have been reconsidered and the questions shall again be put upon the passage of same notwithstanding the objections of the Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 mayor; and if, upon such vote, the council shall pass the same by a majority vote of the incumbent members of the council, it shall have the some effect as if approved by the mayor. If any ordinance or resolution shall not be returned to the city recorder by the mayor within five working days after it shall have been presented , the same shall have the some force and effect as if approved by the mayor. It shall be the duty of the city recorder to endorse upon each ordinance or resolution upon the records of the proceedings of the council the time when such ordinance or resolution was delivered to the mayor, and the time when the same shall be returned to the recorder's office by the mayor. Section 21. CITY ADMINISTRATOR MANAGER. (A) Qualifications. The rife r^dMiRiStrGfG city manager shall be the administrative head of the government of the city. The Ctc'Mini&tFG G+ manager shall be chosen by the mayor and the council, collectively, and as a group, without regard to political considerations and solely with reference to his error the manager's executive and administrative qualifications. The manager need not be a resident of the city or of the state at the time of appointment but promptly thereafter shall become and during his-eF he their tenure remain a resident of the city, unless otherwise agreed by the city council. Before taking office, he er she the manager shall give a bond in such amount and with such surety as may be approved by the council. The premiums on such bond shall be paid by the city. (B) Term. The GI IMinistrGtGw manager shall be appointed for a-R definite or indefinite term and may be removed at the pleGs Fro of the rAGYGr GRGI a any time by a majority of the council, Gelle ti„ely Gnu, Gs ,Y group. Upon any vacancy occurring in the office of GdMiRi;f,(t manager after the first GppeiRtmeRf n, err, GRf tO thiS Gh.,r r the council shall fill the office by appointment as soon as practicable, (C) Powers and Duties: The PGW9FS GRd GlUfieS ef the GdrRiRiS#Gter city manager shall . (l) He or she ShGI1 dDevote hula;their entire time to the discharge of official duties, attend all meetings of the council unless excused therefrom by the council or mayor, keep the council advised at all times of the affairs and needs of the city and make reports annually or more frequently if requested by the council, of all the affairs and departments of the city. (2) He er the °h"'F sSee that all ordinances are enforced and that the provisions of all franchises, leases, contracts, permits and privileges granted by the city are observed. Page I - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 (3) Appoint, supervise, and remove city employees. H^e she shGII effirieRGY in eGGh of them. he er she The manager shall have no control, however, over the mayor, the council, or the judicial activities of the municipal judge. (4) Organize city departments and administrative structure. (5) He nr she shGlf n Act as purchasing agent for all departments of the city. All purchases shall be made by requisition signed by him or her or a designee. (6) Be responsible for preparing and submitting to the budget committee the annual budget estimates and such reports as that body requests. (7) He nr she rhpfl r Supervise the operation of all public utilities owned and operated by the city and shall have general supervision over all city property. (8) Delegate certain management powers to any department head; however, the final responsibility for all management actions shall rest with the GdFRiRiSfFG manager. (D) Seats at Council Meetings. The adMiRiStFa manager and such other officers as the council designates shall be entitled to sit with the council but shall have no vote on questions before it. The ,-yr,fmiRis+r,ti+^r manager may take part in all council discussions. (E) Manager Pro Tem. Whenever the istr manager is absent from the city, is temporarily disabled from acting as edminist manager, or whenever hn,s-^eF he the manager office becomes vacant, the council shall appoint a manager pro tem, who shall possess the powers and duties of the GGIRi iS#G#^r manager. No edmiRis#Gter No Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 C1.dMiniSfFGfE) manager pro tem shall hold hi-s the position as such for more than four months, and no appointment of OR a-dMiRiSt manager pro tem shall be renewed more than one time. (F) Interference in Administration and Elections. No member of the council shall directly or indirectly, by suggestion or otherwise, attempt to influence or coerce the Gdministm manager in the making of any appointment or removal of any officer or employee or in the purchase of supplies; or attempt to exact any promise relative to any appointment from any candidate for admiRis#Gfe manager; or discuss directly or indirectly with -the manager the matter of specific appointments to any city office or employment. A violation of the foregoing provisions of this section shall be grounds for forfeiture of the office of the offending member of the council. Nothing in this section shall be construed, however, as prohibiting the council, while in session, from fully and freely discussing with or suggesting to the GdMiRiS#G manager anything pertaining to city affairs or interest of the city. (G) Ineligible Persons. Neither the GdFRiRiS#9 manager's spouse nor any person related to the GdrRiRiSfrGter manager or his eF he their spouse by consanguinity with affinity within the third degree may hold any appointive office or employment within the city. Section 22. MUNICIPAL JUDGE. (A) The municipal judge shall be the judicial officer of the city. He er s4e They must be a member of the Oregon State Barer ci�rc—must and a resident of the State of Oregon, but need not be a resident of the city. (B) He OF she The municipal judge shall hold within the city a court known as the municipal court for the city of Woodburn, Marion County, Oregon. The court shall be open for the transaction of judicial business at times specified by the council. All area within the city shall be within the territorial jurisdiction of the court, The municipal judge shall exercise original and exclusive jurisdiction of all offenses defined and made punishable by ordinances of the city and of all actions brought to recover or enforce forfeitures or penalties defined or authorized by ordinances of the city. (C) He Gr she The municipal judge shall have authority to issue process for the arrest of any person accused of an offense against the ordinances of the city, to commit any such person to jail or admit them to bail pending trial, to issue subpoenas, to compel witnesses to appear and testify in court on the trial of any cause before the court, to compel obedience to such subpoenas, to Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 issue any process necessary to carry into effect the judgments of the court, and to punish witnesses and others for contempt of court. (©) When not governed by ordinances or this charter, all proceedings in the municipal court for violation of a city ordinance shall be governed by the applicable general laws of the state governing justices of the peace and justice courts. Section 23. RECORDER. The recorder shall serve ex-officio as clerk of the council, attend all its meetings unless excused therefrom by the council, keep an accurate record of its proceedings, and sign all orders on the treasury. In the recorder's absence or inability to perform duties of office, the (9r manager shall appoint a recorder pro tem, who while acting in that capacity, shall have all the authority and duties of the recorder. Section 24. CITY ATTORNEY. The City attorney shall perform all professional services incidental to the office, and shall appear and conduct all suits, prosecutions, and proceedings, civil or criminal, in which the City of Woodburn is directly or indirectly interested, and shall, when required, furnish opinions upon any subject pertaining to the affairs of the said city submitted by the council or its commiftees.he erne-The city attorney shall also advise with and counsel all city officers in respect to their official duties and attend the regular meetings of the council and of such committees and boards as shall request his er assistance. CHAPTER VI ELECTIONS Section 25. REGULAR ELECTIONS. QtYeler=t;E)RS Sh9lI 108 held iR GGGeFdGRG^ City elections must conform to state law except as this charter or ordinances provide otherwise. All elections for city offices must be nonpartisan. Section 26. TIE VOTES. In the event of a tie vote for candidates for elective office, the successful candidate shall be determined by a public drawing of lots in a manner prescribed by the council. Section 27. COMMENCEMENT OF TERMS OF OFFICE. The term of office of a person elected at a regular city election shall commence with the first regular council meeting in the month following the election. Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 Section 28. OATH OR AFFIRMATION. All elective officers, the municipal judge, the £sty GdminisfrGte city manager, and the city attorney, before entering upon the duties of their offices, shall subscribe and file with the head of the department in charge of city records, an oath or affirmation of office. The oath shall read: "I , do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States and of the State of Oregon, uphold the charter and ordinances of the City, and that I will, to the best of my ability, faithfully perform the duties of during my continuance therein, so help me God." If the person affirms, instead of the last clause of the oath, there shall be stated: "And this I do affirm under the pains and penalties of perjury." Section 29. NOMINATION. Nomination of a candidate for an elective office shall be in a manner prescribed by ordinance. CHAPTER VII VACANCILLIROFFICE Section 30. WHAT CREATES A VACANCY. An off shall be upon the , . The mayor or a council office becomes vacant: (A) Upon the incumbent's: (1) Death; (2) Resignation; (3) Adjudicated incompetence; or (4) Recall from the office. (B) Upon declaration by the council after the incumbent's: (1) Failure to qualify for the office within 10 days of the time the term of office is to begin; (2) Absence from the city for 30 days or from all council meetings within a 50-day period without council consent, (3) Ceasing to reside within the boundaries of the city or the ward in which they were elected; Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3285 Resolution No. 2255 (4) Ceasing to be a qualified elector under state law, (5) Conviction of a felony crime; or (6) Removal under Section 21(F). Section 31. FILLING OF VACANCIES. Vacant elective offices in the city shall be filled by appointment by the mayor. A majority vote of the council shall be required to approve the appointment. As little as a single council member may constitute a majority for purposes of filling vacant council seat(s), if all other council seats are vacant. The appointee's term of office shall begin immediately upon "�, he;appointment and shall continue throughout the unexpired term of his oF he eir predecessor. CHAPTER Vlll ORDINANCES Section 32. ENACTING CLAUSE. :".The council will exercise its legislative authority by adopting ordinances. The enacting clause for all ordinances must state "The City of Woodburn ordains as follows." Section 33. MODE OF ENACTMENT (t) Except as the second and third paragraphs of this section provide to the contrary, every ordinance of the council shall, before being put upon its final passage, be fully and distinctly read in open council meeting on two different days. (2) Except as the third paragraph of this section provides to the contrary, an ordinance may be enacted at a single meeting of the council by unanimous vote of all council members present, upon being first read in full and then by title. (3) Any of the readings may be by title only if no council member present at the meeting requests to have the ordinance read in full or if a copy of the ordinance is provided for each council member and three copies are provided for public inspection in the office of the city recorder not later than one week before the first reading of the ordinance and if notice of their availability is given forthwith upon the filing, by written notice posted at the city hall and two other public places in the city or by advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation in the city. An ordinance enacted after being read by title alone may have no legal effect if it differs substantially from its terms as it was thus filed prior to such reading, unless each section incorporating such a difference is read fully and distinctly in open council meeting as finally amended prior to being approved by the council. Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 (4) Upon the final vote on an ordinance, the ayes and nays of the members shall be taken and entered in the record of proceedings. (5) Upon the enactment of an ordinance, the recorder shall sign if with the date of its passage and his eF her the recorder's name and title of office. Section 34. WHEN ORDINANCES TAKE EFFECT. An ordinance enacted by the council shall take effect on the thirtieth day after its enactment. When the council deems it advisable, however, an ordinance may provide a later time for it to take effect, and in case of emergency, it may take effect immediately. CHAPTER IX PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS Section 35. CONDEMNATION. Any necessity of taking property for the city by condemnation shall be determined by the council and declared by a resolution of the council describing the property and stating the uses to which it shall be devoted. Section 36. IMPROVEMENTS. The procedure for making, altering, vacating, or abandoning a public improvement shall be governed by general ordinance or, to the extent not so governed, by the applicable general laws of the state. Action on any proposed public improvement, except a sidewalk or except an improvement unanimously declared by the council to be needed at once because of an emergency, shall be suspended for six months upon a remonstrance thereto by the owners of a majority of the land to be specially assessed therefor. In this section, "owner" shall mean the record holder of legal title, or where land is being purchased under a land sale contract recorded or verified to the recorder in writing by the record holder of legal title to the land, the purchaser shall be deemed the "owner." Section 37. SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS. The procedure for levying, collecting, and enforcing the payment of special assessments for public improvements or other services to be charged against real property shall be governed by ordinance. Section 38. DEBT LIMIT. Page i - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 City indebtedness may not exceed debt limits imposed by state law. A charter amendment is not required to authorize city indebtedness. CHARTER X MISCELLANEOUS PROVISION5 Section 34. EXISTING ORDINANCE CONTINUED. All ordinances of the city consistent with this charter and in force when it takes effect shall remain in effect until amended or repealed. Section 40, REPEAL OF PREVIOUSLY ENACTED PROVISIONS. All charter provisions of the city enacted prior to the time that this charter takes effect are hereby repealed. sF ' ! J GYtStGRdiRg J / If . Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255 be passed by th9 GGURGA." Page 1 - Council Bill No. 3286 Resolution No. 2255