§ 56-4. Special assessment to recover costs associated with enforcement.

(a)

Fines and fees; certification of; effect of appeal. When the city takes measures to enforce this chapter through sections 56-2 and 56-3 the fines/fees associated with the administrative citation and re-inspections shall be determined, with respect to the property affected. The city shall certify a statement of the fine/fees and of service of notice on the owner, describing the real property upon which such enforcement measures was accomplished, to the director of finance. If any appeal shall have been filed from the order from the director of neighborhood and housing services or director of health within the period allowed by law, such costs of the enforcement measure shall not be certified to the director of finance unless and until final judgment shall have been rendered on such appeal confirming such order.

(b)

Issuance of special tax bill. Upon receipt of such certification, the director of finance shall cause the certified cost to be included in a special tax bill or added to the annual real estate tax bill for the property, at the director's option. The director of finance shall cause a copy of the notice of assessment to be sent to the owners of such property by regular U.S. mail, and the original thereof to be retained in the office of the city treasurer, appropriately filed. The certified cost shall be collected in the same manner and procedure for collecting real estate taxes. The tax bill shall be paid as provided in section 2-1722 of this Code. If the certified cost is not paid, and is considered delinquent, its collection shall be governed by the laws governing delinquent and back taxes. The tax bill from the date of the notice of assessment shall be deemed a personal debt against the owner and shall also be a lien on the property until paid. The city may initiate actions to collect against the owner and to enforce the lien if payment in full is not received before the bill becomes delinquent. Such lien may be enforced by any method appropriate for the enforcement of special assessments generally.

(c)

Costs in Municipal Court Action. In any case where the costs of enforcement measures shall have been assessed as additional costs in a municipal court action as provided in this chapter, and such cost judgment shall have been satisfied, the special assessment pertaining thereto shall be reduced or canceled accordingly, and the record in the office of the city treasurer shall be changed to reflect such reduction or cancellation.

(Ord. No. 110775, § 2, 10-13-11; Ord. No. 130937 , § 7, 12-19-13)