1749.04 COSTS OF REMOVAL.

   (a)    Residential: The costs of removal or abatement of a public nuisance described in Section 1749.01 shall become the personal obligation of the owner of the residential property from which such public nuisance has been removed or abated by the City or its contractors pursuant to Section 1749.03. Such cost shall be the total cost of removal or abatement, at a minimum service charge of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) per occurrence. When the residential property owner owns two or more contiguous parcels of land, such cost shall be the total cost of removal or abatement, at a minimum service charge of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) per occurrence, for the first parcel of land. For each contiguous parcel of land, such cost shall be the total cost of removal or abatement, at a minimum service charge of one hundred dollars ($100.00) per occurrence.

   (b)    Commercial: The costs of removal or abatement of a public nuisance described in Section 1749.01 shall become the personal obligation of the owner of the commercial property from which such public nuisance has been removed or abated by the City or its contractors pursuant to Section 1749.03. Such cost shall be the total cost of removal or abatement, at a minimum service charge of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per occurrence. When the commercial property owner owns two or more contiguous parcels of land, such cost shall be the total cost of removal or abatement, at a minimum service charge of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per occurrence, for the first parcel of land. For each contiguous parcel of land, such cost shall be the total cost of removal or abatement, at a minimum service charge of five hundred dollars ($500.00) per occurrence.

   (c)    The City of Youngstown may collect the costs or charges for such removal or abatement from the property owners. At any time after such costs are incurred, subject to limitations as provided by law, the City of Youngstown or a duly retained agent or attorney at law shall send a letter attempting to collect such costs to the property owner at the property owner's last known address, via regular U.S. mail. If the property owner fails to pay within 30 days of the date of the letter, then the City of Youngstown or a duly retained agent or attorney at law may collect the cost or charges from the property owners by any of the following methods:

      (1)   The City of Youngstown may certify the total costs, together with a proper description of the lands, to the County Auditor who shall place the costs upon the tax list and duplicate. The costs are a lien upon such lands from and after the date the costs were incurred. The costs shall be collected as other taxes and returned to the City of Youngstown. The placement of the costs on the tax list and duplicate relates back to, and is effective in priority, as of the date the costs were incurred, provided that the City of Youngstown or its duly retained agent or attorney at law certifies the total costs within one year from the date the costs were incurred. Such certification shall not, however, preclude other methods of recovery of such cost as may be authorized generally by law; and/or

      (2)   The City of Youngstown or a duly retained agent or attorney at law may commence a civil action to recover the total costs from the owner.

         (Ord. 23-409. Passed 11-1-23.)