(a) The Engineer shall review and approve all plans, profiles, cross-sections, specifications and other pertinent work details before any pavement, water, sewer or utility construction has begun, and shall periodically field inspect such construction in progress. The owner, contractor, developer or utility, prior to the commencement of any construction hereunder, shall deposit with the Director of Finance an amount equal to the estimated cost of review and inspections, or a minimum amount of five hundred dollars ($500.00) to cover review and inspection costs, unless such minimum deposit is reduced by written approval of the Engineer due to the size of the project. Whenever the balance of the deposit is reduced below three hundred dollars ($300.00), to pay the cost of the Engineer’s review and inspections, an additional deposit shall be made by such owner, contractor, developer or utility.
(b) During construction projects reviewed and/or inspected by the Engineer, the Engineer shall submit a monthly report on a form deemed appropriate by the Engineer and the Director of Finance of all the hours of professional services performed by the Engineer for the project, including the hours spent performing inspections. The Director of Finance shall maintain records of professional services rendered by the Engineer, including all invoicing. When the project is completed, the Engineer shall submit a final invoice indicating the complete engineering costs associated with the project to the Director of Finance.
(c) Upon receiving written notification of completion of the project from the owner, contractor, developer or utility and only after obtaining approval from both the Engineer and the Commissioner of Building, Zoning and Housing, the Director of Finance shall refund any unused portions of the deposit.
(d) In the event that the necessary funds are not submitted as herein described for the review and inspection services set forth above, or in cases where the cost of the Engineer’s review and inspections has exceeded the deposited amount, the Commissioner of Building, Zoning and Housing shall cause an invoice for services rendered to be served upon the owner of record via regular, first-class mail in the amount reported by the Engineer, plus a charge of $75.00 for the administrative costs incurred by the Division of Building, Zoning and Housing, the Department of Finance, and various legal costs for each invoice so served. The Commissioner shall also report all unreimbursed engineering and inspection expenses and administrative charges to Council at an appropriate time.
(e) Upon the receipt of the statement of unreimbursed costs incurred and administrative charges, Council shall make written notice to the Fiscal Officer of Cuyahoga County of the City’s action under the preceding subsection with a statement of the unreimbursed costs for the Engineer’s services and any administrative charges under this section and a proper description of the premises for the purpose of making the same a lien upon the lands and to be collected as other taxes and returned to the City to be deposited in the City’s Inspection Deposit Fund and/or the General Fund.
(Ord. 144-2017. Passed 3-13-18.)