(a) A hearing examiner shall conduct a public hearing on all civil violations whenever the person charged requests a hearing in a timely manner. The City shall notify the person charged of the date and time of the hearing. The hearing shall be held within 15 calendar days after the filing of the request, unless the delay is necessary in the interest of justice. The hearing may be informal, but all testimony shall be under oath. A copy of the notice of violation is a record kept in the ordinary course of business of the City of Springfield, Ohio, and is prima-facie evidence of the facts it contains.
(b) The hearing examiner shall enter into the record of the proceedings the notice of civil offense and civil fine, the filing of or failure to file an answer, the substance of the answer, and testimony and evidence produced at the hearing, and other relevant information.
(c) The hearing examiner shall issue a decision and make findings of fact from the record and conclusions of law in support of the decision within ten days from the close of the hearing. The findings and conclusions shall demonstrate that the decision is consistent with applicable laws, ordinances and regulations. The decision shall state a finding of liability or non-liability, the civil fine due, payments, delinquency and collection charges and any other relevant information.
(d) If the person served has taken an administrative appeal authorized by the Codified Ordinances of The City of Springfield, Ohio, from an order on which the offense was based, the hearing examiner may extend the time for answering the notice of civil offense until the appeal has been finally resolved.
(e) If the hearing officer has made a finding of liability, the civil fine due must be paid within ten days of the issuance of the hearing officer’s decision. If not paid within that time period, or such other period established by the hearing officer in the decision, the fine is “delinquent” and the delinquent amount shown in Section 1324.99 is then due.