(a) Keeping down weeds. Any person owning or having charge of land within the municipality shall keep said property free and clear from all noxious weeds and rank vegetation and shall be required to cut all such weeds and vegetation on the lots owned or controlled by him or her at least twice in every year, once between June 1 and July 1 and once between August 1 and September 1.
(b) Notice to owner to cut noxious weeds; service. Upon information that noxious weeds are growing on lands in the municipality and are about to spread or mature seeds, the Council shall cause written notice to be served on the owner or person having charge of such land that such weeds must be cut and destroyed within five days after service of such notice. If such owner or person having charge of such land is a nonresident whose address is known, such notice shall be sent to his or her address by registered mail; if unknown, it shall be sufficient to publish such notice once in a newspaper of general circulation in the county.
(c) Fees for service and return. The Police Chief, any police officer or Clerk of Council may make service and return of the notice provided for in division (b) above and shall be allowed the same fee as that provided for service and return of summons in civil cases before a magistrate.
(d) Procedure when owner fails to comply with notice. If the owner or person having charge of such land fails to comply with such notice, Council shall cause the noxious weeds to be cut and destroyed. All expenses and labor costs incurred shall, when approved by Council, be paid out of municipal funds not otherwise appropriated.
(e) Written return to County Auditor; amount a lien upon property. The Council shall make a written return to the County Auditor of its action under divisions (b) and (c) above with a statement of the charges for their services, the amount paid for labor, the fees of the officers serving said notices and a proper description of the premises. Such amounts, when allowed, shall be entered upon the tax duplicate and be a lien upon such lands from and after the date of entry and will be collected as other taxes and returned to the municipality with the General Fund.
(f) Penalty. Whoever shall violate or fail to comply with any of the provisions of this section for which another penalty is not provided shall be fined not less than $10 and not more than $100.
(Ord. 515, passed 9-8-1975)