[CC 1985 §74.130; Ord. No. 473-C §1, 7-19-1999]
A. As
used in this Article, "debris" shall mean:
1. Any condition on any lot or land in the City of Canton, Missouri,
that has the presence of debris of any kind is hereby declared to
be a public nuisance, subject to abatement. Debris includes weed cuttings,
cut and fallen trees and shrubs, overgrown vegetation and noxious
weeds which are seven (7) inches or more in height, rubbish and trash,
lumber not piled or stacked twelve (12) inches off the ground, rocks
or bricks, tin, steel, derelict cars or trucks, parts of derelict
cars or trucks, broken furniture, and/or any flammable material.
2. The word
"debris" also includes any other material found on any lot or land that is unhealthy or unsafe, provided that it is described in detail in the notice that is required in Section
220.060 below.
[CC 1985 §74.140; Ord. No. 473-C §2, 7-19-1999; Ord. No. 537-C §1, 10-21-2002]
A. Enforcement
of this Article shall be the responsibility of the Chief of Police
or Code Enforcement Officer of the City of Canton, Missouri. Enforcement
shall commence by providing notice to the owner of the property of
the nuisance condition existing on the property. The notice may be
delivered by personal service, by certified mail, or by ordinary mail,
and if sent by ordinary mail there will be a rebuttable presumption
that the letter was delivered five (5) days after the date it was
sent.
B. The
notice shall generally describe the nature of the nuisance, the location
of the property, (using the mailing or popular address rather than
a legal description when reasonably possible to do so), and ordering
the property owner to, within a period of seven (7) days from the
receipt of the notice, abate the nuisance.
[CC 1985 §74.150; Ord. No. 473-C §3, 7-19-1999; Ord. No. 537-C §2, 10-21-2002]
A. If
the nuisance is present on the property seven (7) days after receipt
of the notice by the property owner, the Chief of Police or Code Enforcement
Officer shall cause the same to be abated.
B. The
cost of the abatement may include a fee for the City's cost in administering
this Article, which fee shall not exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00).
C. The
Chief of Police or Code Enforcement Officer shall certify the cost
of such abatement to the City Collector who shall cause the certified
costs to be included in a special tax bill or added to the annual
real estate tax bill at the Collector's option, and the costs shall
be collected in the same manner and procedure as for collecting real
estate taxes.
D. The
tax bill from the date of its issuance shall be deemed a personal
debt against the owner and shall also be a lien on the property until
paid.
[CC 1985 §74.160; Ord. No. 473-C §4, 7-19-1999]
An owner who fails to remove a nuisance within seven (7) days of being notified to do so by the notice/abatement order described in Section
220.060 shall be guilty of an offense and may be charged in the Municipal Division of Circuit Court for the City of Canton, Missouri, with the offense of "failure to abate a nuisance" and, upon conviction, the person convicted shall be subject to the punishment provided for in Section
100.220 of the City Code.