(A) Establishment. The city establishes a Municipal Ordinance Violations Bureau, as authorized under § 8396 of the Act, to accept admissions of responsibility for municipal civil infractions in response to municipal ordinance violation notices issued and served by authorized city officials, and to collect and retain civil fines and costs as prescribed by this code or any ordinance.
(B) Location; supervision, rules and regulations; employees. The Bureau shall be located at City Hall and shall be under the supervision and control of the Clerk/Treasurer. The City Manager, subject to the approval of the City Council, shall adopt rules and regulations for the operation of the Bureau and appoint any necessary qualified employees to administer the Bureau.
(C) Disposition of violations. The Bureau may dispose only of municipal civil infraction violations for which a fine has been scheduled and for which a municipal ordinance violation notice has been issued. The fact that a fine has been scheduled for a particular violation shall not entitle any person to dispose of the violation at the Bureau. Nothing in this section shall prevent or restrict the city from issuing a municipal civil infraction citation for any violation or from prosecuting any violation in a court of competent jurisdiction. No person shall be required to dispose of a municipal civil infraction violation at the Bureau, and may have the violation processed before a court of appropriate jurisdiction. The unwillingness of any person to dispose of any violation at the Bureau shall not prejudice the person or in any way diminish that person's rights, privileges, and protection accorded by law.
(D) Scope of authority. The scope of the Bureau's authority shall be limited to accepting admissions of responsibility for municipal civil infractions and collecting and retaining civil fines and costs as a result of those admissions. The Bureau shall not accept payment of a fine from any person who denies having committed the offense or who admits responsibility only with explanation, and in no event shall the Bureau determine, or attempt to determine, the truth or falsity of any fact or matter relating to an alleged violation.
(Ord. 292, passed 4-20-16)