(A) Properties found in violation of this chapter and issued a Notice of Violation, shall be assessed an administrative fee as shown on the city's master fee schedule, that must be fully paid aside of any fines and penalties related to the abatement of violations of this chapter.
(B) Report to City Council. The City Administrator, or his or her designee, shall keep an account of the cost of abating the nuisance of weeds, dirt, brush, rubbish or rank growths ordered to be abated under this chapter upon each separate lot or property, and the abutting half of the street in front, sidewalk(s) and alley, if any, adjacent thereto. It shall be filed with the City Clerk and submitted to the City Council. The reports shall refer to each separate lot or property by description sufficient to identify such lot or parcel, together with the expense proposed to be assessed against each separate lot or parcel of land thereof, respectively.
(C) Posting and publication. The City Clerk shall post a copy of the report and assessment list on the cost of the abatement as required by the preceding section in a prominent place at City Hall, together with a notice of the filing thereof and of the time and place when and where it will be submitted to the Council for hearing and confirmation. The posting shall be made and completed at least ten days before the time such report shall have been submitted to the City Council for costs confirmation.
(D) Notice of cost recovery. The notice shall substantially be in the following form:
“Notice is hereby given that:
The Council of the City of Madera has confirmed the report of the City Administrator, and his or her designee, on the abatement of weeds, dirt, brush rubbish and rank growth, and your property has been assessed the amounts which are shown here. You have twenty (20) days after the date the Council confirmed the report in which to pay to the Finance Department the assessment as shown on the list. The twentieth day ends at 5:00 p.m. on . If the City does not receive your payment by that date, a penalty of ten percent (10%) shall be assessed against the amount then due. The amount of the total due, including the penalty, will be transmitted to the county auditor for entry upon and collection with the next tax roll in the form of a lien against the property. Thereafter, such amount shall be collected with property taxes, and shall be subject to additional interest and penalties in the case of delinquency, along with sale, because the assessment shall constitute a lien upon your property. The cost of recording and removing a lien on property on which this amount has been assessed will be borne by the property owner.
All property owners having objections to the abatement costs recovery are hereby notified to attend the public hearing to be held on , at , where and when all objections will be heard and given due consideration.
Dated: , City of Madera.”
(E) Hearing by City Council. At the time and place fixed for receiving the report of the cost of abatement pursuant to this section, the council shall hear any objections which may be raised by any of the property owners liable to be assessed for the work of abating such nuisance. The City Administrator, or his or her designee, shall attend such meeting. The City Council may make such modifications in the proposed assessments as deemed necessary, after which such report and assessment list shall be confirmed by resolution.
(F) Debt owed to constitute lien on property. The amount of the cost of abating the nuisance of weeds, dirt, brush, rubbish and rank growths upon, or in front or rear of the various lots or parcels of land respectively referred to in such report and the cost of recording and removing a lien on the property, shall constitute special assessments against such respective lots or parcels of land. Upon its confirmation, it shall constitute a lien on such property for the amount of such assessments until paid.
(G) Collection by county. If the amounts owed are not paid in full by the twentieth day after confirmation, the amount due may be turned over to the County Tax Auditor for collection through the next tax roll. Upon confirmation of the report and assessment list, the City Administrator, or his or her designee, shall transmit a copy of the resolution, report and costs to the property owners identified on such report and list, along with a letter as set forth in § 1-9.11.
(Ord. 913 C.S., passed 1-7-15)