(Added by Ord. No. 124,508, Eff. 6/6/63.)
(a) (Amended by Ord. No. 143,860, Eff. 10/30/72.) Whenever any person pays any fee, charge, deposit, or amount due the City by check, and said check proves to be non-negotiable or is unhonored, the following fee can be charged to and collected from such person in addition to the full amount of the fee, charge, deposit, or amount otherwise due:
$10.00 for each nonnegotiable or unhonored check. (Amended by Ord. No. 157,613, Eff. 5/26/83.)
$25.00 per hour or fraction thereof for any investigation which is made necessary in order to collect or receive an money due after seven calendar days from the date said check was received.
EXCEPTIONS:
1. Any department, division, office or bureau of this City may, by resolution of its board of commissioners, or if none, by order of its general manager, decline to enforce the provisions of this section with respect to those fees, charges deposits, or other amounts which it has the duty of collecting if it determines that collection of the fees provided for in this section is unreasonable or unnecessary. The controller shall be promptly notified of each such action.
2. The chief accounting employee of each department, division, office or bureau of this City enforcing this section may waive the fees provided for herein if that employee determines that such fees are not collectible without unreasonable cost to the City, and the full amount of all fees, charges, deposits, or other amounts for which the non-negotiable or unhonored check has been written has been collected. The Controller shall be promptly notified of each such action. (Amended by Ord. No. 157,202, Eff. 12/11/82.)
(b) This section shall not apply to checks which are returned or unhonored due solely to acknowledged bank error and the check is made good within three days after its original return.
(c) Any person who presents a non-negotiable or unhonored check in payment of fees or charges established by this Code may be placed on a cash-only payment basis by the enforcing department, office, division or bureau for that payment and future payments. (Amended by Ord. No. 157,613, Eff. 5/26/83.)
(d) All fees imposed and collected under the provisions of this section shall be deposited in the General Fund.
(e) There shall be no implementation of Exceptions 1 or 2 of this section unless the concerned department head has approved and caused to be filed and kept current with the Controller a statement of departmental policies and procedures wherein collection of fees under this section shall not be required and may be waived. The procedures shall require that the department head notify the Controller in each instance of any waiver of fee and identify in that notice to the Controller the specific policy or procedure applicable in the instance involved. (Amended by Ord. No. 157,202, Eff. 12/11/82.)