Sec. 2-79. Emergency measures; limitation.
A. An emergency measure is one passed by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Council for the immediate preservation of the peace, health or safety, in which the emergency is set forth and defined in a separate section. An emergency measure shall take effect upon its adoption.
B. The Council shall not enact with an emergency clause any ordinance providing for any expenditure in excess of three million dollars in connection with any construction or development of any project involving non-essential City services.
C. The following definitions shall be used in this section:
1. Expenditure means any direct or indirect payment of money, the granting of tax concessions or relief, or the incurring of any form of debt.
2. Emergency clause means any provision that has the effect of causing an ordinance to become effective immediately of [or] that denies or limits, in any way, the right to refer an ordinance to the ballot.
3. Non-essential services means all services other than those set forth in paragraph (D) below.
D. The provisions of this section do not apply to any ordinance providing for expenditures, including capital expenditures and debt service in connection with aviation, courts, fire, police, public transit, solid waste, streets, streetscapes, parking, wastewater, water public utilities, stormwater, environmental safety, risk management, insurance and self-insurance, public health or safety, public housing, equipment maintenance, parks, recreation and libraries. (Code 1962, § 2-73; Ord. No. G-1159, § 2; Ord. No. G-4305, § 1, 2000)