(a) Whenever the Review Board Director is notified of a suspected public nuisance and determines the existence of a public nuisance as defined in Section 561.01, he/she may cause a written notice to be served on the owner and/or other responsible person, stating the findings with respect to the existence of a public nuisance and ordering the owner and/or other responsible person, to abate the public nuisance within 15 days. Whenever the issues raised by the written notice and order have been finally determined, the review board director may request the assistance of the Legal Department in abating the public nuisance in the manner provided in Ohio R.C. Chapter 3767. If the owner and/or other responsible person fails or refuses to comply with the order to abate the public nuisance, the Review Board Director may, in addition to proceeding as provided hereinabove, proceed against the owner for any violations of this chapter.
(b) Whenever the Review Board Director suspects the existence of a building or housing code public nuisance as defined in Section 561.01 in the City, he/she shall promptly cause any necessary inspection of the premises on which the public nuisance is suspected to exist. The Review Board Director shall cause a written notice to be served on the owner stating the findings with respect to the existence of a public nuisance and stating that unless the owner or owners thereof shall cause the abatement of the public nuisance by rehabilitation or by removal of the building, structure or nuisance, the same will be abated by the City at the expense of the owner. The Review Board Director may also order the owner to take such measures as are reasonably necessary to lessen the severity of the public nuisance in a manner prescribed by the Review Board Director. If the owner fails or refuses to comply with such order, the City may cause either the abatement or the lessening of the severity of the public nuisance, at the expense of the owner, by rehabilitation or repair, or by removal of the building, structure, or nuisance. Abatement by the owner shall start within 15 days after service of the notice and shall be complete within the time prescribed in Section 561.05(c) and (d) or such additional time as the review board director may deem necessary to complete the abatement.
(c) The City may, at its option, elect to not utilize the procedure provided in Section 561.02(b), and proceed instead with the filing of an action in common pleas court in accordance with Ohio R.C. Chapter 3767.
(Ord. 35-15. Passed 11-5-15.)