(a) The City may at its option upon determination by the Building Inspector that a building or structure within the City has been vacant for a period of time in excess of twelve months and that in its vacant condition, unless it is made secure and boarded up, will constitute and does constitute a danger to the City and its residents, cause such vacant structure or dwelling to be made secure and boarded up with the cost of such securing and/or boarding up to be assessed against the property on which the vacant structure or building is located and to be paid by the property owner.
(b) Prior to the City undertaking any steps to secure or board up such a structure or dwelling, the City shall cause a notice of intent to secure and/or board up such vacant structure or dwelling to be sent by certified mail to the owner of record of the real estate on which the vacant structure or dwelling is situated, notifying such property owner to cause the vacant structure of dwelling to be secured and boarded up within a period of fifteen days from receipt of the notice.
Such notice shall further advise that if such vacant structure or dwelling is not secured and/or boarded up within such period of fifteen days after the receipt of the notice, that the City reserves the right, at its sole and total discretion, to cause the vacant structure or dwelling to be secured and/or boarded up at the cost of the property owner to whom such notice has been sent. In the event the City expends moneys to cause the vacant structure or dwelling to be secured and/or boarded up, and the property owner refuses to pay the cost of such securing and/or boarding up, then and in that event the City shall cause the cost of such securing and/or boarding up to be turned over to the Treasurer of Lorain County and the Auditor of Lorain County for certification and assessment as a lien against the real estate and shall cause the cost to be certified on the tax duplicate against the real estate.
(c) This section shall be in addition to and shall not rescind, repeal or in any way modify any other existing ordinances or resolutions within the City and shall in no way limit the rights of the City to take any and all steps which it is otherwise entitled to take in regard to structures and dwellings within the City.
(Ord. 26-91. Passed 4-9-91.)