(1) Each ordinance shall embrace only one (1) subject and shall have a title that shall clearly state the subject.
(2) Each ordinance shall be introduced in writing and shall have an enacting clause styled “Be it ordained by the City of :”.

Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 83A.060

  • Action: includes all proceedings in any court of this state. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Attorney: means attorney-at-law. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • City: includes town. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Code of ordinances: means a reenactment of the body of positive municipal law, read and interpreted as a whole, with the text arranged by subject matter and properly indexed. See Kentucky Statutes 83A.010
  • Commission: means the city commission in any city organized and governed under the commission plan. See Kentucky Statutes 83A.010
  • Composite index: means a loose-leaf compilation of all ordinances listed by date of passage, arranged by subject matter of the contents and indexed alphabetically. See Kentucky Statutes 83A.010
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Month: means calendar month. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Municipal order: means an official act of the legislative body of a municipality which is binding upon the officers and employees of the municipality and any governmental agency over which the municipality has jurisdiction. See Kentucky Statutes 83A.010
  • Ordinance: means an official action of a city legislative body, which is a regulation of a general and permanent nature and enforceable as a local law or is an appropriation of money. See Kentucky Statutes 83A.010
  • Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
  • Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Summary: means a brief narrative prepared under the supervision of an attorney succinctly covering the main points of an official statement, ordinance, or rule in a way reasonably calculated to inform the public in a clear and understandable
    manner as to its meaning. See Kentucky Statutes 83A.010
  • Year: means calendar year. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010

(3) No ordinance shall be amended by reference to its title only, and ordinances to amend shall set out in full the amended ordinance or section indicating any text being added by a single solid line drawn underneath it. Text that is intended to be removed shall be marked at the beginning with an opening bracket and at the end with a closing bracket. The text between the brackets shall be stricken through with a single solid line.
(4) Except as provided in subsection (7) of this section, no ordinance shall be enacted until it has been read on two (2) separate days. The reading of an ordinance may be satisfied by stating the title and reading a summary rather than the full text.
(5) A city legislative body may adopt the provisions of any local, statewide, or nationally recognized standard code and codifications of entire bodies of local legislation by an ordinance that identifies the subject matter by title, source, and date and incorporates the adopted provisions by reference without setting them out in full, if a copy accompanies the adopting ordinance and is made a part of the permanent records of the city.
(6) Unless otherwise provided by statute, a majority of a legislative body shall constitute a quorum and a vote of a majority of a quorum shall be sufficient to take action.
(7) In an emergency, upon the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the membership, a city legislative body may suspend the requirements of second reading and publication to provide for an ordinance to become effective by naming and describing the emergency in the ordinance. Publication requirements of subsection (9) of this section shall be complied with within ten (10) days of the enactment of the emergency ordinance.
(8) Every action of the city legislative body shall be made a part of the permanent records of the city and on passage of an ordinance the vote of each member of the city legislative body shall be entered on the official record of the meeting. The legislative body shall provide by ordinance for the maintenance and safekeeping of the permanent records of the city. The person assigned this responsibility and the presiding officer shall sign the official record of each meeting. All ordinances adopted in a city shall, at the end of each month, be indexed and maintained in the following manner:
(a) The city budget, appropriations of money, and tax levies shall be maintained and indexed so that each fiscal year is kept separate from other years.
(b) All other city ordinances shall be kept in the minute book or an ordinance book in the order adopted and indexed in a composite index or maintained in a code of ordinances.
(9) Except in cities of the first class, a charter county government, and as provided in subsection (7) of this section, no ordinance shall be enforceable until published
pursuant to KRS Chapter 424. Ordinances may be published in full or in summary as designated by the legislative body. If the legislative body elects to publish an ordinance in summary, the summary shall be prepared or certified by an attorney licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and shall include the following:
(a) The title of the ordinance;
(b) A brief narrative setting forth the main points of the ordinance in a way reasonably calculated to inform the public in a clear and understandable manner of the meaning of the ordinance; and
(c) The full text of each section that imposes taxes or fees.
Ordinances that include descriptions of real property may include a sketch, drawing, or map, including common landmarks, such as streets or roads in lieu of metes and bounds descriptions.
(10) A city may specify by ordinance additional requirements for adoption of ordinances in greater detail than contained herein, but a city shall not lessen or reduce the substantial requirements of this section or any other statute relating to adoption of ordinances.
(11) At least once every five (5) years, each city shall cause all ordinances in the composite index or code of ordinances to be examined for consistency with state law and with one another and to be revised to eliminate redundant, obsolete, inconsistent, and invalid provisions.
(12) The legislative body may adopt municipal orders. Orders shall be in writing and may be adopted only at an official meeting. Orders may be amended by a subsequent municipal order or ordinance. All orders adopted shall be maintained in an official order book.
(13) In lieu of an ordinance, a municipal order may be used for matters relating to the internal operation and functions of the municipality and to appoint or remove or approve appointment or removal of members of boards, commissions, and other agencies over which the city has control.
(14) All ordinances, and orders of the city may be proved by the signature of the city clerk; and when the ordinances are placed in a printed composite index or code of ordinances by authority of the city, the printed copy shall be received in evidence by any state court without further proof of the ordinances.
(15) For anything said in debate, legislative body members shall be entitled to the same immunities and protections allowed to members of the General Assembly.
Effective: July 15, 2020
History: Amended 2020 Ky. Acts ch. 87, sec. 5, effective July 15, 2020. — Amended
2014 Ky. Acts ch. 5, sec. 2, effective July 15, 2014. — Amended 2006 Ky. Acts ch.
8, sec. 1, effective July 12, 2006. — Amended 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 34, sec. 1, effective July 14, 1992. — Amended 1990 Ky. Acts ch. 401, sec. 15, effective July 13, 1990. — Amended 1982 Ky. Acts ch. 434, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1982. — Created 1980 Ky. Acts ch. 235, sec. 6, effective July 15, 1980.
Legislative Research Commission Note (7/15/2020). 2020 Ky. Acts ch. 91, sec. 73, which applies to fiscal years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 and expires June 30, 2022 (see 2020 Ky. Acts ch. 91, sec. 80), states the following:
“Publishing Requirements: Notwithstanding KRS § 83A.060, 91A.040, and Chapter
424, a county containing a population of more than 90,000 or any city within a county containing a population of more than 90,000, as determined by the 2010
United States Census, may publish enacted ordinances, audits, and bid solicitations by posting the full ordinance, the full audit report including the auditor’s opinion letter, or the bid solicitation on an Internet Web site maintained by the county or city government for a period of at least one (1) year. If a county or city publishes ordinances, audits, or bid solicitations on an Internet Web site, the county or city shall also publish an advertisement, in a newspaper qualified in accordance with KRS § 424.120, with a description of the ordinances, audits, or bid solicitations published on the Internet Web site, including the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) where the documents can be viewed. Any advertisement required to be published in a newspaper under KRS Chapter 424 shall contain the following statement at the end of the advertisement:
“This advertisement was paid for by [insert the name of the governmental body required to advertise in a newspaper] using taxpayer dollars in the amount of $[insert the amount paid for the advertisement].”.