(a) In addition to any penalties applicable under state law the following penalties apply to candidates for Council and the filing requirements in this Code:
(1) Any candidate who fails to file a Wednesday before election campaign finance report required hereby shall be fined ten dollars ($10.00) per day until the filing is made, to a maximum of three hundred dollars ($300.00).
(2) No penalty shall be imposed upon any candidate who, after making a good faith effort to identify the information required by these regulations, is unable to provide such information, except that if this information is not on file with the Lorain County Board of Elections, the contribution shall be returned to the contributor within thirty days after the filing of the candidate’s financial report.
(b) In addition to any penalties applicable under state law, the following penalties apply to contribution limits under sections of this Code:
(1) For a contribution in excess of the limits set forth herein, the candidate shall pay the City General Fund three dollars ($3.00) for every dollar accepted in excess of the limit, unless the excess is completely refunded within ten business days after notification to the recipient of the contribution that a contribution in excess of the permitted amount had been received.
(2) For intentional or persistent violations of contribution limits, a candidate shall pay the City General Fund one hundred dollars ($100.00) or five times the amount accepted in excess of the limit, whichever is greater.
(c) No person shall knowingly fail to file the information required under Section 112.06. A violation of this section is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(d) No person shall knowingly fail to file or file a false statement required under Section 112.07. A violation of this section is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(e) Enforcement. Suspected violations of this chapter shall be submitted to the Clerk of Council, who shall transmit such information to the Director of Law, who shall investigate the claim and enforce the provisions of this chapter.
(Ord. 05-81AC. Passed 12-5-05.)