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(A) Any Licensed Peace Officer of the city's Police Department, or the County Sheriff, or any Deputy Sheriff shall have the authority to enforce any provision of this code.
(B) As permitted by M.S. § 626.862, as it may be amended from time to time, the City Clerk shall have the authority to administer and enforce this code. In addition, under that statutory authority, certain individuals designated within the code or by the Clerk or City Council shall have the authority to administer and enforce the provisions specified. All and any person or persons designated may issue a citation in lieu of arrest or continued detention to enforce any provision of the code.
(C) The City Clerk and any city official or employee designated by this code who has the responsibility to perform a duty under this code may with the permission of a licensee of a business or owner of any property or resident of a dwelling, or other person in control of any premises, inspect or otherwise enter any property to enforce compliance with this code.
(D) If the licensee, owner, resident, or other person in control of a premises objects to the inspection of or entrance to the property, the City Clerk, Peace Officer, or any employee or official charged with the duty of enforcing the provisions of this code may, upon a showing that probable cause exists for the issuance of a valid search warrant from a court of competent jurisdiction, petition and obtain a search warrant before conducting the inspection or otherwise entering the property. This warrant shall be only to determine whether the provisions of this code enacted to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people are being complied with and to enforce these provisions only, and no criminal charges shall be made as a result of the warrant. No warrant shall be issued unless there be probable cause to issue the warrant. Probable cause occurs if the search is reasonable. Probable cause does not depend on specific knowledge of the condition of a particular property.
(E) Every licensee, owner, resident or other person in control of property within the city shall permit at reasonable times inspections of or entrance to the property by the City Clerk or any other authorized city officer or employee only to determine whether the provisions of this code enacted to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people are being complied with and to enforce these provisions. Unreasonable refusal to permit the inspection of or entrance to the property shall be grounds for termination of any and all permits, licenses or city service to the property. Mailed notice shall be given to the licensee, owner, resident or other person in control of the property, stating the grounds for the termination, and the licensee, owner, resident or other person in control of the property shall be given an opportunity to appear before the City Clerk to object to the termination before it occurs, subject to appeal of the Clerk's decision to the City Council at a regularly scheduled or special meeting.
(F) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the City to enter private property in urgent emergency situations where there is an imminent danger in order to protect the public health, safety and welfare.
(A) In addition to those administrative penalties established in this code and the enforcement powers granted in § 10.20, the City Council is authorized to create by resolution, adopted by a majority of the members of the Council, supplemental administrative penalties. The resolution may be in the form established in Appendix VI of the User’s Guide to the MBC. Such resolution may not proscribe administrative penalties for traffic offenses designated by M.S. § 169.999.
(B) These administrative penalty procedures in this section are intended to provide the public and the city with an informal, cost effective and expeditious alternative to traditional criminal charges for violations of certain provisions of this code. The procedures are intended to be voluntary on the part of those who have been charged with those offenses.
(C) Administrative penalties for violations of various provisions of the code, other than those penalties established in the code or in statutes that are adopted by reference, may be established from time to time by resolution of a majority of the members of the City Council. In order to be effective, an administrative penalty for a particular violation must be established before the violation occurred.
(D) In the discretion of the peace officer, City Clerk, or other person giving notice of an alleged violation of a provision of this code, in a written notice of an alleged violation, sent by first class mail to the person who is alleged to have violated the code, the person giving notice may request the payment of a voluntary administrative penalty for the violation directly to the City Treasurer within 14 days of the notice of the violation. A sample notice is contained in the Appendix to this chapter. In the sole discretion of the person giving the notice of the alleged violation, the time for payment may be extended an additional 14 days, whether or not requested by the person to whom the notice has been given. In addition to the administrative penalty, the person giving notice may request in the notice to the alleged violator to adopt a compliance plan to correct the situation resulting in the alleged violation and may provide that if the alleged violator corrects the situation resulting in the alleged violation within the time specified in the notice, that the payment of the administrative penalty will be waived.
(E) At any time before the payment of the administrative penalty is due, the person who has been given notice of an alleged violation may request to appear before the City Council to contest the request for payment of the penalty. After a hearing before the Council, the Council may determine to withdraw the request for payment or to renew the request for payment. Because the payment of the administrative penalty is voluntary, there shall be no appeal from the decision of the Council.
(F) At any time after the date the payment of the administrative penalty is due, if the administrative penalty remains unpaid or the situation creating the alleged violation remains uncorrected, the City, through its Attorney, may bring criminal charges in accordance with state law and this code. Likewise, the City, in its discretion, may bring criminal charges in the first instance, rather than requesting the payment of an administrative penalty, even if a penalty for the particular violation has been established by Council resolution. If the administrative penalty is paid, or if any requested correction of the situation resulting in the violation is completed, no criminal charges shall be initiated by the City for the alleged violation.
(A) Any person, firm, or corporation who violates any provision of this code for which another penalty is not specifically provided, shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor. The penalty which may be imposed for any crime which is a misdemeanor under this code, including Minnesota Statutes specifically adopted by reference, shall be a sentence of not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $1,000, or both.
(B) Any person, firm or corporation who violates any provision of this code, including Minnesota Statutes specifically adopted by reference, which is designated to be a petty misdemeanor shall, upon conviction be guilty of a petty misdemeanor. The penalty which may be imposed for any petty offense which is a petty misdemeanor shall be a sentence of a fine of not more than $300.
(C) Pursuant to M.S. § 631.48, as it may be amended from time to time, in either the case of a misdemeanor or a petty misdemeanor, the costs of prosecution may be added. A separate offense shall be deemed committed upon each day during which a violation occurs or continues.
(D) The failure of any officer or employee of the city to perform any official duty imposed by this code shall not subject the officer or employee to the penalty imposed for a violation.
(E) In addition to any penalties provided for in this section or in § 10.98, if any person, firm or corporation fails to comply with any provision of this code, the Council or any city official designated by it, may institute appropriate proceedings at law or at equity to restrain, correct or abate the violation.
NOTICE OF CODE VIOLATION
To: (Name and address of person who is alleged to have violated the code)
From: (Name and title of city official giving the notice)
Re: Alleged violation of Section of the City Code, relating to (give title of section)
Date: (Date of notice)
I hereby allege that on (date of violation) you violated § of the City Code relating to .
The City Council has by resolution established an administrative penalty in the amount of $ for this violation.
Payment of this administrative penalty is voluntary, but if you do not pay it the city may initiate criminal proceedings for this alleged violation.
Payment is due within 14 days of the date of this notice. Before the due date, you may request an additional 14-day extension of the time to pay the administrative penalty.
As an alternative to the payment of this administrative penalty, if the situation that gave rise to this alleged violation is corrected by (establish date), then the payment of the administrative penalty will be waived.
Even if the administrative penalty is paid, the city reserves the right to institute appropriate proceedings at law or at equity to restrain, correct or abate the violation.
Before the due date, you may request to appear before the City Council to contest the request for payment of the penalty. After a hearing before the Council, the Council may determine to withdraw the request for payment or to renew the request for payment. Because the payment of the administrative penalty is voluntary, there shall be no appeal from the decision of the Council.
If you pay the administrative penalty, the city will not initiate criminal proceedings for this alleged violation. However, the Council, or any city official designated by it, may institute appropriate proceedings at law or at equity to restrain, correct or abate the violation.
Payment of the administrative penalty may be made by check, cash or money order to the City Treasurer.
Signed:
(Name and Title of Person Giving Notice)