[Adopted 7-19-1966 by Ord. No. 8-1966 (Ch. 90 of the 1974 Code)]
[Amended 4-24-2012 by Ord. No. 3-2012]
The presence upon lands lying within the corporate limits of the City of Northfield of abandoned refrigerators, washing machines, old furniture, abandoned and cast-out junk of various sorts, unused machinery or equipment is hereby decreed to be a nuisance and to be detrimental to the public health, safety and general welfare and likely to present a fire hazard.
[Amended 9-2-1980 by Ord. No. 17-80; 6-15-1999 by Ord. No. 7-99; 4-24-2012 by Ord. No. 3-2012]
The owner or tenant of lands lying within the corporate limits of the City of Northfield is hereby required to remove or cause to be removed any abandoned refrigerators, washing machines, old furniture, abandoned and cast-out junk of various sorts, unused machinery or equipment within 10 days after receipt by such owner or tenant of a written notice from the Building Inspector, the Chief of Police of the City of Northfield, the Zoning Officer or the County Health Officer.
[Amended 9-2-1980 by Ord. No. 17-80]
A. 
Notice to the owner or tenant to cause the removal of the substances referred to in the preceding sections shall be given by any of the individuals specified in the preceding section and may be served upon any such owner or tenant either personally or by registered mail. If service is made by registered mail, the ten-day period within which such removal shall be accomplished shall be deemed to have commenced thereon from the date of the return receipt of the registered mail obtained by the postal authority for the delivery of such registered notice.
B. 
Every such notice shall, in addition to requiring the removal aforesaid, warn the owner or tenant of the lands to which such notice refers that failure to accomplish such removal within the time stated therein will result in removal by or under the direction of the Building Inspector or Zoning Officer of the City of Northfield, and the cost of such removal shall be charged to the owner or tenant of such lands and shall be payable to the City within 30 days after date of submission of the charges. Unless such charges are paid within the thirty-day period, the costs as assessed shall become a lien upon the lands and shall be collected as provided by law.
[Amended 6-15-1999 by Ord. No. 7-99]
[Amended 9-2-1980 by Ord. No. 17-80]
A. 
Whenever the owner or tenant of lands within the City, receiving notice provided for by the preceding section to remove from such lands any of the substances hereinbefore mentioned, shall fail or neglect, within the prescribed time, to effect removal of such substances, such removal shall be accomplished by or under the direction of the Building Inspector or Zoning Officer of the City of Northfield.
[Amended 6-15-1999 by Ord. No. 7-99]
B. 
The removal shall be accomplished in either of the two following methods: by use of City employees or through an independent contractor approved by the City.
C. 
Retention and approval of the independent contractor shall be accomplished in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:11-1, and retention of the independent contractor may be on a per-job basis as the need arises or on a yearly contract basis.
D. 
Where the removal is accomplished by City employees, an accurate record of the cost of such removal shall be determined by the Building Inspector or Zoning Officer, who shall certify the cost thereof to the governing body, which cost shall include time, labor, materials and equipment. Any bills submitted by an independent contractor pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:11-1 shall likewise be submitted to the governing body, and the Building Inspector or Zoning Officer shall certify that the work specified in the statement submitted by the independent contractor was, in fact, performed.
[Amended 6-15-1999 by Ord. No. 7-99]
E. 
Following certification of the cost, the cost shall be charged against the lands, and the amount charged shall become a lien upon the lands and shall be added to and become and form a part of the taxes next to be assessed and levied upon such lands, the same to bear interest at the same rate as taxes and shall be collected and enforced by the same officers and in the same manner as taxes.
[Amended 2-5-1974 by Ord. No. 1-1974; 9-2-1980 by Ord. No. 17-80; 4-24-2012 by Ord. No. 3-2012]
The penalty for violation of any provision of this article shall be as set forth in Chapter 1, General Provisions, § 1-15. Any such penalties shall be imposed in addition to the cost of removing the substances hereinbefore referred to upon the lands described in the notice given. For purposes of this article, each day on which such a condition exists after the expiration of the notice period shall be deemed or constitute a separate offense under this article, and separate complaints may be filed for each such offense.