7-3-1230. Petition for referendum. (1) The electors shall have power to approve or reject at the polls any ordinance passed by the commission except an ordinance making a tax levy or an emergency measure, such power being known as the referendum. Ordinances submitted to the commission and passed by the commission without change or passed in an amended form and not required by the committee of the petitioners to be submitted to a vote of the electors shall be subject to the referendum in the same manner as other ordinances.

(2) If, within 30 days after the final passage of an ordinance, a petition signed by 10% of the qualified electors whose names appear on the register of voters on the date when such petition is filed shall be filed with the clerk requesting that the ordinance or any specified part thereof be either repealed or submitted to a vote of the electors, it shall not become operative until the steps indicated herein have been taken. Referendum petitions shall contain the text of the ordinance or part thereof, the repeal of which is sought.