(a) The City of Ripley was accepted into the Municipal Home Rule Program on August 14, 2019. The West Virginia Home Rule Board approved the City’s 2019 Municipal Home Rule Written Plan and Application, which contained as part of the creation of an ordinance for the Code Enforcement Officer and Police Officers to issue on the spot citations for public nuisances. With approval of the written Home Rule plan and application, the Municipal Home Rule Board granted permission to the City to prepare and adopt this ordinance.
(b) The City of Ripley Code Enforcement Officer and Police Officers are hereby granted authority to issue citations for certain violations of the City Code in order to eliminate hazards to public health and safety, and abate or cause to be abated public nuisances. The citations may be issued for violations extending to sanitation, drainage, sidewalks in disrepair, high weeds, grass or both, graffiti, exterior garbage accumulation and open storage in residential districts.
(c) The citations may be issued to the owner, lessee, sub-lessees, tenant, occupant, or agent or manager thereof, presently having control over the property in question.
(d) The citations may be issued on the spot to the responsible party. The party receiving the citation may contest the citation in the City of Ripley Municipal Court at next appointed Court date.
(e) If the violation is a first offense and is corrected within twenty-four (24) hours of the time the citation is issued, the code enforcement officer shall convert the citation to a warning.
(f) The fine for each violation shall be fifty dollars ($50.00) if paid within ten (10) days. If not paid within ten (10) days, the fine shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00) per day until the violation is corrected. Court costs may be added to the fine by the municipal judge.
(9-17-19)
CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF RIPLEY