(A) Maximum penalties permitted.
(1) The city shall not inflict any fine or penalty, by ordinance or otherwise, to a greater sum than $500 for any one specified offense or violation of a bylaw or ordinance, or double that sum for each repetition of such offense or violation.
(2) If a thing prohibited or rendered unlawful is, in its nature, continuous in respect to time, the fine or penalty for allowing the continuance thereof, in violation of the bylaw or ordinance, shall not exceed $250 for each day that it may be unlawfully continued.
(3) If any bylaw or ordinance provides for any greater fine, penalty, or forfeiture than in provided in this section, it shall and may be lawful, in any suit or prosecution for the recovery thereof, to reduce it to such amount as shall be deemed reasonable and proper and to permit a recovery or render or judgment for such amount as authorized.
(A.C. § 14-55-504)
(B) Imprisonment to enforce fine.
(1) The City Council shall have power to provide that, when a fine shall be imposed for the violation of any ordinance of the city and it is not paid, the party convicted shall, by order of the
Mayor or other proper authority or on process issued for the purpose, be committed until the fine and costs of prosecution shall be paid, or the party discharged by due course of law.
(2) The City Council shall also have power to provide that any person convicted of a repeated and willful violation of any ordinance, who shall refuse or neglect to pay the fine imposed and the cost of prosecution, by like order or process, shall be imprisoned and kept in confinement for any term not exceeding 30 days.
(3) The city shall be allowed, for the purpose of imprisonment authorized under this section, the use of the county jail. All persons so imprisoned shall be under the charge of the County Sheriff, who shall receive and discharge the person in such manner as shall be prescribed by the ordinances of the city or, otherwise, by due course of law.
(A.C. § 14-55-602)
(C) Outside work for jailed persons. Prisoners confined in jail by sentence of the municipal court, for a violation of a city or town bylaw, ordinance, or regulation, may, by ordinance, be required to work out the amount of all fines, penalties, forfeitures, and costs at the rate prescribed in A.C. § 16-90-108, on the streets or other improvement under the control of the City Council.
(A.C. § 14-55-603)
(D) Working out of fines. The City Council may, at its discretion, provide by ordinance that fines imposed for violation of ordinances may be discharged by the offender working out the fine upon the streets or alleys of the city, at the rate prescribed in A.C. § 16-90-108, and may adopt all necessary regulations for the safekeeping, management, and control of offenders while working out the fine.
(A.C. § 14-55-604)
(E) Suit for recovery of fines, etc.
(1) Fines, penalties, and forfeitures, in all cases and in addition to any other mode provided, may be recovered by suit or action before any court of competent jurisdiction, in the name of this city and for its use.
(2) In such a suit or action, where pleading is necessary, it shall be sufficient to declare generally for the amount claimed to be due, in respect to the bylaw or ordinance, referring to its title and the date of its adoption or passage, and showing, as nearly as may be, the true time of the alleged violation.
(3) All suits or prosecutions for the recovery of any fines, penalties, or forfeitures, or for the commission of any offense made punishable by any bylaw or ordinance of this city, shall be commenced within one year after the violation of the bylaw or ordinances, or commission of the offense, and not afterwards, if the offender has remained within the jurisdiction of the city during the one year. If not, then the limitation provided in this division shall extend for the term of five years.
(A.C. § 14-55-605)
(F) Additional remedies.
(1) In all cases of violation of any of its ordinances, this city, in addition to any other mode provided by law, shall have the right to recover in a civil action the amount of the lowest penalty or fines provided in the ordinance for each violation or, where the offense is in its nature continuous in respect to time, for each day's violation thereof, and also the amount of any license which the person guilty of the violations was required by any such ordinance to take out.
(2) The municipal court shall have jurisdiction in all such actions concurrent with justices of the peace.
(3) In all cases, where a fine may have been imposed by the municipal court, that court, in addition to the power of enforcing payment of the fine by imprisonment, shall have full power to issue an execution or writ of garnishment, to be executed by the Chief of Police, in like manner and with like effect as if issued by a justice of the peace in any civil case tried before him, and like proceedings may be had thereunder.
(A.C. § 14-55-606)
(G) Disposition of fines.
(1) All fines and penalties imposed by the city, police, or municipal court in this city shall be paid into the city treasury.
(2) The City Council shall have power to prescribe all necessary regulations for the collection, and accounting for, fines and penalties.
(A.C. § 14-55-608)