Syllabus: An initiative petition is effective when it substantially complies with all relevant statutory safeguards. This means that petitioners must comply with the essential matters necessary to assure every reasonable objective of the statutes has been met. An initiative petition can only be used to advance policies that are legislative in nature, not for policies that are predominantly executive or administrative. Ordinances tend to be administrative in nature when they require particularized knowledge in matters of city operations, associated space requirements, public safety, and regulatory issues, as well as an intimate appreciation of the city’s fiscal affairs.
Source: Kansas Court of Appeals
