(A) The Chief of Police, or his or her designee, shall enforce this subchapter and shall periodically inspect the city for causes of blight or blighting factors within the city.
(B) (1) The owner, and if possible, the occupant of any property upon which any of the causes of blight or blighting factors as set forth in this subchapter is found to exist, may be notified in writing (“removal notice”) to remove or eliminate such causes of blight or blighting factors from such property within 14 days after service of the removal notice upon him or her. Such removal notice may be served personally or by registered mail, return receipt requested.
(2) If efforts to serve the occupant and owner personally or by registered mail, return receipt requested, are unsuccessful, it shall be deemed sufficient notice if the written removal notice is mailed by regular mail to the occupant and the owner, if possible, and is posted in a conspicuous location on the property in question. In addition, once the removal notice described in this section has been given, it shall be deemed sufficient notice for a s long as the causes of blight or blighting factors described in the removal notice remain uncorrected.
(3) Additional time to remove the causes of blight or blighting factors may be granted by the enforcement officer where bona fide efforts to remove or eliminate such causes of blight or blighting factors are in progress.
(C) Failure to comply with such notice by the owner and/or occupant by the removal of the causes of blight or blighting factors within the time allowed shall constitute a misdemeanor.
(D) If the Enforcement Officer determines that blight or blighting factors exist or the blight or blighting factors have not been removed after service of the 14 days notice as set forth in division (B) above, the cause of the blight or blighting factors may be removed by the city upon direction of the City Council or its designee. All of the attendant costs of removal of such blight shall be billed to the property owner and all invoices which remain unpaid for more than 30 days shall become a lien on the property from which the blight is removed and assessed as a single lot assessment against such property.
(Ord. 137, passed 5-4-1999)