(a) Establishment; Purpose. An Ordinance Violations Bureau is hereby established for the purpose of accepting admissions of responsibility for Municipal civil infractions in response to Municipal civil infraction violation notices issued and served by authorized enforcement officers, and to collect civil fines and costs prescribed by Village ordinance.
(b) Disposition of Payments. Payments made to the Ordinance Violations Bureau shall be retained and accounted for as fines and costs, respectively, and shall be deposited in the Village's General Fund.
(c) Location; Authority of Village Administrator. The Ordinance Violations Bureau shall be located in the Village's administrative offices, and shall be under the supervision and control of the Village Administrator.
(d) Authority of Ordinance Violations Bureau.
(1) Acceptance of payments. The Ordinance Violations Bureau is authorized to accept admissions of responsibility for Municipal civil infractions in response to Municipal civil infraction violation notices, and to collect civil fines and costs in connection therewith.
(2) Non-acceptance of payments where responsibility denied. The Ordinance Violations Bureau shall not accept payment of a fine or costs from any person who denies having committed the Municipal civil infraction charged in a Municipal civil infraction violation notice, or who admits responsibility only with explanation.
(3) No authority to determine responsibility. The Ordinance Violations Bureau shall not have the authority or jurisdiction to determine, or attempt to determine, the truth or falsity of any fact or matter relating to an alleged violation.
(e) Disposition of Violations.
(1) Alleged violator's options. Any person receiving a Municipal civil infraction violation notice may dispose of the charge alleged in the notice by making payment of the fine and/or costs to the Ordinance Violations Bureau; however, a person shall have the right to elect not to have the violation processed by the Ordinance Violations Bureau and to instead have the alleged violation processed in District Court. The unwillingness of any person to dispose of a violation at the Bureau shall not prejudice the person or in any way diminish the person's rights, privileges and protection accorded by law.
(2) Procedure for processing violations at bureau. A person electing to have an alleged violation processed at the Ordinance Violations Bureau shall appear at the Bureau and pay the specified fine and/or costs within the time specified for appearance in the Municipal civil infraction violation notice. Appearance may be made by mail, in person or by representation. If appearance is made by mail, the person charged in the notice shall be responsible for timely delivery of the fine and/or costs within the time specified in the Municipal civil infraction violation notice.
(3) Procedure where responsibility not admitted or fine not paid. If a person elects not to admit responsibility or pay the specified civil fine and/or costs prescribed for an alleged violation, an authorized enforcement officer may file a Municipal civil infraction citation with the District Court, in which case a copy of the citation shall be served by first-class mail upon the person charged with the Municipal civil infraction at the person's last known address. The citation filed with the Court need not comply in all particulars with Section 212.02
(b), but shall consist of a sworn complaint containing the allegations stated in the Municipal ordinance violations notice and shall fairly inform the defendant how to respond to the citation.
(Ord. 2000-1. Passed 2-7-00.)