(a) No person owning or having charge of land within the municipality shall fail to keep such property free and clear from all noxious weeds and rank vegetation that are a detriment to the health and welfare of the inhabitants of the municipality nor fail to cut all such weeds and vegetation on the lot owned or controlled by him or her when such weeds or vegetation reach a height of 12 inches.
(b) In addition to any other consequence or penalty provided by these Codified Ordinances for a violation of division (a) hereof, the municipality may, after ten days notice to the person owning or having charge of the subject land within the municipality and the subsequent failure of such person to comply with such notice, cut or otherwise remove such weeds and vegetation. The cost of such cutting or removal shall become the personal obligation of the property owner. Such cost shall be the total cost to the municipality of such cutting or removal, including the cost of notification, subject to a minimum service charge of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) for each such cutting or removal. The cost of such cutting or removal may be certified by the Manager to the appropriate County Auditor to be assessed against the subject real estate and thereby collected as other real estate taxes, or may be collected by any duly appointed collection agent or other agent acting on the municipality’s behalf as an outstanding debt owed to the municipality.
(c) The ten days notice required by division (b) hereof shall be given personally, by way of certified U.S. mail, return receipt requested, or by way of regular U.S. mail, to the owner or agent in charge of the subject real estate. However, where such service of notice is not reasonably practicable, service of notice may be by publication once in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality. Such notice shall specify the subject real estate, the period of time in which such cutting or removal shall take place and the consequences of the failure to take such action within such time period.
(d) Whoever violates division (a) of this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor and shall be subject to the penalty provided in Section 698.02. A separate offense shall be deemed committed each day during or on which a violation or noncompliance occurs or continues from and after the ten days notice set forth in this section.
(Ord. 88-O-1039, passed 6-21-1988; Ord. 16-O-2873, passed 7-19-2016)