Except as otherwise provided, any person violating any of the provisions of this code shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined as provided in the general penalty in section 1-4-1 of this chapter. However, the city's prosecuting attorney may elect to refrain from initiating criminal prosecution when the code enforcement officer first issues an infraction citation describing the violation and the charge assessed to the offending party. The guilty party may settle such violation by paying to the city clerk, within fifteen (15) days of receipt of the complaint of such violation a civil assessment in the amount of fifty dollars ($50.00) for a first offense, one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) for a second offense and three hundred dollars ($300.00) for a third offense. (Ord. 560, 10-21-2013; amd. Ord. 614, 10-5-2020)