(A) The owner of any vacant building shall cooperate with the Inspection Agent in any inspections of the vacant building by the Inspection Agent, and shall grant unrestricted access to the interior and exterior of the vacant building after receiving 48 hours' notice from the village.
(B) Whenever the Mayor suspects the existence of an abandoned building nuisance in the village, he or she shall promptly cause to be inspected the suspected abandoned building nuisance by the Inspection Agent.
(C) Except in the case of an emergency, the Inspection Agent shall make reasonable attempts to give notice to the owner of the Inspection Agent's intention to inspect the suspected abandoned building nuisance. As stated in division (A) above, the owner shall cooperate with the Inspection Agent and shall grant unrestricted access to the subject vacant building after receiving 48 hours' notice from the village.
(D) The Inspection Agent may proceed with the inspection despite failure of the owner to cooperate with same.
(E) The Inspection Agent shall cause to be inspected the premises on which the suspected abandoned building nuisance exists, and shall prepare a written report of his or her findings with respect thereto and cause photographs of the suspected abandoned building nuisance to be made.
(F) The Inspection Agent shall provide the written inspection report and photographs to Village Council and to the owner. At a regular Council meeting, Council shall review the written report and photographs and shall, if a majority of the Council members concur that the vacant building in question constitutes an abandoned building nuisance, request that such determination be memorialized in a resolution substantially in the form of Appendix D following this chapter. Prior to the Council meeting, the Inspection Agent shall make reasonable attempt to notify owner of the intention of Council to review the report and photographs at such meeting. If owner appears at the Council meeting, owner shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard on the inspection report and photographs.
(G) Upon passage of the resolution, except in cases of an emergency, the Mayor shall cause a written notice, substantially in the form of Appendix E following this chapter to be served by certified mail on the owner, with respect to the determination of the existence of an abandoned nuisance building and stating that the owner shall cause the abatement of the nuisance by rehabilitation, abatement, or removal of the abandoned building nuisance within 15 days. If owner fails to abate the nuisance within 15 days, the village may collect from owner the village's administrative costs related to the inspection, report, photographs, and notice provided for in this division (G), in the amount of $500, in addition to any other costs relating to the village's abatement activities as set forth in R.C. § 715.261 and herein, the cost of which shall be recovered as provided in R.C. § 715.261, as it may be amended from time to time.
(H) The notice set forth in division (G) herein shall also state that unless the owner causes the abatement of the nuisance by rehabilitation, abatement, or removal by the time set forth in the resolution, the same may be abated or removed by the village, the total cost of which shall be recovered as provided in R.C. § 715.261, as it may be amended from time to time.
(I) If owner does not abate the abandoned building nuisance within the time period set forth in the notice described in division (G), Council, in its discretion, may proceed with the repair or abatement of the abandoned building nuisance or the removal of the building. In such cases, the Mayor shall cause a written notice, substantially in the form of Appendix F, following this chapter, to be served by certified mail on the parties in interest with respect to the existence of an abandoned nuisance building, the owner's failure to abate same, and the village's intention with respect to such removal, abatement, or repair, the total cost of which shall be recovered as provided in R.C. § 715.261. As set forth in R.C. § 715.26, if an emergency exists, as determined by Council, notice may be given other than by certified mail and less than 30 days prior to such removal or repair.
(Ord. 2016-01, passed 2-16-2016)