(a) Fee Schedule; Scope of Services. For any and all Municipal claims or Municipal liens or delinquent sewer rentals or refuse disposal fees, the Township shall assess attorneys' fees at the rate of one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125.00) per hour for all services rendered by an attorney, be it the Township Solicitor or outside counsel, for the collection of the aforementioned claims, which include, but are not limited to: review of claims and correspondence to each and every party involved; lien filing; preparation of all pleadings, motions, petitions, praecipes or other legal documents in association with any litigation; correspondence, letters or memoranda; telephone calls or conferences; legal research; travel time or transportation costs; witness preparation; preparation or consultations with expert witnesses; conversations, meetings and conferences with any Township official; investigation time or expenses; review of correspondence, pleadings, motions, petitions, praecipes, etc. from a taxpayer or the taxpayer's lawyer; conferences, meetings or review of correspondence to and from third parties, such as banks, mortgage companies, real estate agents, title agents, abstract firms, insurance companies, etc.; preparation time for hearings, trials or any other proceeding; meetings, correspondence, conversations, etc., with all court officials, constables, sheriffs or others involved in the prosecution and/or collection of the Municipal claim, lien or delinquency; and time for attendance at any hearing, trial, judicial conference or other proceeding; and all charges, expenses and fees incurred in the collection of any delinquent account.
(b) Penalty. In addition to the above schedule, a penalty of ten percent shall be added for each and every year that said claim is outstanding.
(c) Interest. In addition to the above schedule, interest at the rate of three-quarters of one percent (.75%) per month shall be added to each and every delinquent amount.
(d) Waiver. The Board of Commissioners may waive these charges in cases of serious hardship, on a case by case basis, pursuant to uniform policies.
(e) Amendment of Schedule. The Board of Commissioners may, from time to time, amend this schedule of attorneys' fees either by enacting a new ordinance or through inclusion of a new schedule of attorneys' fees during the enactment of the yearly tax levy ordinance which contains other Township charges and fees on a yearly basis.
(Ord. 00-1. Passed 5-15-00.)