The City shall keep an itemized account of expenses it incurs to abate nuisances on behalf of a private property owner or tenant. The total cost incurred for administration, labor, personnel, materials, equipment, attorneys’ fees, and litigation expenses shall either be collected through civil litigation directed against the property owner or shall be certified by the Director of Finance to the County Auditor, and placed by the Auditor upon the tax duplicate to be a lien against the real estate from and after the date of entry upon the duplicate, to be collected as other taxes and returned to the City, with the effect that the total cost of such work constitutes a lien on the property which has priority ahead of any mortgages on the premises. Such collection proceedings or certification to the County Auditor shall only be initiated by the City after property owners and/or others with an interest in the property have been offered at least a fourteen calendar day period to remit full payment for charges incurred.
(Ord. 84-6. Passed 3-13-84; Ord. 12-7. Passed 8-28-12; Ord. 13-11. Passed 6-26-13; Ord. 20-13. Passed 10-27-20.)