117.17 Incorporation; new charter commission, petition, procedure, eligibility, duties, expenses; control of territory pending adoption; date of incorporation; voting franchise.

Sec. 17.

    In cases where the qualified electors of a proposed city shall reject a proposed charter, any 300 electors of said proposed city may petition the de facto mayor for the selection of a new charter commission, and if said petition shall be filed with the de facto mayor of said proposed city on or before the expiration of 10 days from the canvass and determination of the vote on said charter, the de facto mayor of said proposed city shall, if said petition is signed by the requisite number of electors, certify such fact upon said petition and forthwith file the same with the county clerk or secretary of state, depending upon the office in which the original petition was filed, and such county clerk or secretary of state as the case may be, shall give notice of the filing of such petition in the same manner as upon the filing of the original petition and an election shall be called and held and a new charter commission shall be elected in the same manner as in the first instance. The duties of the new charter commission shall be the same as those of the former commission, and as many such successive commissions as necessary may be held in like manner until a charter for such proposed city is framed and approved by the electors thereof. All persons who have served on previous charter commissions within 1 year shall be ineligible as members of every such commission. The first legislative body assembled pursuant to a charter adopted by the electors of such city, shall provide for the payment of the necessary expenses incurred by the county and by the members of such commission or commissions, but the members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services. The county clerk shall return any unexpended sum of money deposited under section 6 of this act to the depositor. The territory constituting the city shall remain under the control and management of the respective cities, villages and townships from which it was taken and the authority of the officers of such city, villages and townships shall continue until the charter of the new city has been adopted and the officers have been elected and qualified as herein provided. No new city shall be deemed to be incorporated until a charter has been adopted and duplicate printed copies certified by the clerk filed in the office of the county clerk. The county clerk shall forthwith forward 1 copy to the secretary of state, and the date it is received shall be the date of incorporation of the new city. The general voting franchise of no qualified elector shall be lost because of the incorporation, annexation or consolidation processes and his voting rights where last eligible shall be unimpaired by the incorporation, annexation or consolidation processes.