The County Inspector shall have the sole, discretionary power to impose on any person violating this chapter any one or more of the following actions:
(A) The County Inspector may issue to the violator a citation that shall be written on a citation ticket and one copy kept on file in the County Weights and Measure's office and a second copy kept on file in the County Clerk's office. The County Inspector shall determine a preset fine as set forth in this chapter.
(B) If the violator pays the fine assessed by the County Inspector and corrects the conditions of the violation within ten days, the County Inspector shall issue no further citations for the same infraction.
(C) If the violator corrects the conditions of the violation but fails to pay the fine assessed by the County Inspector within ten days of the citation being issued, the County Inspector shall request the County Clerk to issue a summons to be sent to the violator and assign a court date for trial.
(D) If the violator fails to correct the conditions of the violation within ten days:
(1) The County Inspector shall continue to assess the violator additional fines under this chapter until the conditions of the violation are corrected. Fines shall be assessed for each day of the ten days the violator had been allowed to correct the violations but failed to do so. Each day the violation continues constitutes a separate violation and the fine doubles; and
(2) The County Inspector shall request the County Clerk to issue a summons to be sent to the violator and assign a court date for trial. The County Attorney shall request the court to take whatever action is deemed necessary to prevent the instrument from being used or the commodity from being sold, including but not limited to, issuing a warrant for the individual owning or managing the business and/or barring the business from conducting any and all business.
(E) All fines received at the County Clerk's office shall be placed into Lake County Weights and Measures User Fee Fund as required by the Lake County Council. The Clerk's Office shall provide the Weights and Measures Department with a weekly printout of all fines received.
(F) The County Inspector may decline to provide the violator with the opportunity to prepay and may proceed with civil action or any other procedure or remedy available by law or granted in this chapter against the violator.
(G) Any fines assessed by the County Inspector under this chapter shall be doubled if, within the past 12-month period from the time the citation is issued, a person receives a second citation for violations.
(H) The County Inspector may temporarily suspend a license and request the County Sheriff to close a person's business or businesses for violations of this chapter to protect the consumers of Lake County from fraudulent activity of the person, or where the person has amounts exceeding $500 owing and outstanding with the County Inspector.
(I) This chapter shall take effect on the date of its passage by the Lake County Council.
(Ord. 1198C, passed 12-14-1999; Ord. 1208B, passed 10-10-2000; Ord. 1209B, passed 11-14-2000; Ord. 1258C, passed 12-14-2004; Ord. 1260A, passed 2-8-2005; Ord. 1264C, passed 6-13-2005; Ord. 1264D, passed 6-13-2005) Penalty, see § 110.99