(A) Abandonment of vehicles.
(1) No person shall abandon any vehicle or trailer within the city and no person shall leave any vehicle or trailer at any place within the city of such time and under such circumstance as to cause such vehicle or trailer reasonably to appear to have been abandoned.
(2) No person shall leave any partially dismantled, non-operating, wrecked or junked vehicle or trailer on any street or highway within the city.
(B) Abandoned property.
(1) No person shall abandon, leave or place, in any street, alley or public place of the city, any property of any kind.
(2) No person shall permit any property of any kind so abandoned, left or placed to be or remain for more than 48 hours in any street, alley or public place of the city, adjacent to or in the vicinity of his or her property or residence, without reporting the same; and any property so abandoned, left or placed in any such street, alley or public place, and any property abandoned, left or placed by any person on any private property of which report or complaint may have reached any bureau or department of the city, is declared to be a public nuisance and an obstruction and a menace to the public welfare, comfort, safety and health.
(C) Abandoned property, nuisance abatement.
(1) It is hereby made the duty of any member of the Police Department to report to the Chief of Police any property so abandoned, left or placed and the Chief of Police shall provide for the removal of such obstruction and the abatement of such nuisance, as soon as possible after receiving any such report.
(2) It shall be the duty of the Police Department to:
(a) Take possession of any article of property so abandoned, left or placed on any public or private property;
(b) If the same is believed to have any value, to keep it and make an attempt to find the owner thereof; and
(c) To retain any such article for the delivery to the proper owner upon verification of ownership.
(3) It shall be the duty of the Police Department to:
(a) Maintain a place for the keeping of any such abandoned article until the same shall be claimed or otherwise disposed of;
(b) Keep a record of the lien thereon for the reasonable expenses incurred for the effort necessary in taking, removing and storing such article; and
(c) Release such article or property upon the satisfaction of any and all liens held against said article or property.
(4) If any such article or property has been or is kept for 90 days or more without being claimed, the same may be disposed of by the Police Department as follows.
(a) If of no value or of slight value, it may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of by the city.
(b) If of slight value and of use to any city department, it may be turned over to the proper department and used until claimed by the owner. Such article or property may be released to the owner upon the satisfaction of any and all liens held against said article or property. The lien may be reduced based on the amount of use by the department at the discretion of the Chief of Police.
(c) If no more than slight value, it may be sold by the Police Department ten days after notice of such sale has been given by one publication in a legal newspaper published in the city, and the city may be a bidder at such sale. If on any such sale, an amount is bid in excess of the charges or lien of the city, such excess shall be deposited to the credit of the General Fund of the city.
(Prior Code, § 12-A-06) (Ord. 1106, passed 12-27-2011) Penalty, see § 10.99