[Adopted 12-26-1990 as Ord. No. 1423]
The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Ridgefield
hereby establish and adopt an Article to be placed and published in
the Code of the Borough of Ridgefield entitled "Removal of Certain
Signs and Placards."
Any person, group, organization or other entity
who or which places or affixes or causes to be placed or affixed any
sign, poster, handbill or other writing, for any purpose, in or on
any public place, post, tree, pole or other structure shall be responsible
for the removal of any such sign, poster, handbill or other writing.
No sign, poster, handbill or other writing placed
or affixed as set forth in this Article shall be allowed to remain
so posted or affixed for a period greater than fourteen (14) consecutive
days. On or before the expiration of fourteen (14) days, the person,
group, organization or other entity so placing or affixing the sign,
poster, handbill or other writing shall remove the same, including
the removal of any tacks, nails, staples or other fasteners.
Nothing in this Article shall be construed as
permitting the posting or affixing of any sign, poster, handbill or
other writing as would otherwise be illegal or unlawful.
Any person, group, organization or other entity,
having a responsibility to do so under this Article, who or which
fails to remove any such sign, poster, handbill or other writing within
the time frames provided shall violate this Article and be subject
to a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.). For purposes
of this Article, each and every sign, poster, handbill or other writing
not removed as required by this Article shall constitute a separate
violation.
When it shall appear that any sign, poster,
handbill or other writing has remained posted or affixed in violation
of this Article, borough officials, including the police and Department
of Public Works employees, may remove such sign, poster, handbill
or other writing. In the event of such removal by borough officials,
the borough may recover the sum of fifty dollars ($50.) for each and
every sign, poster, handbill or other writing removed. The amount
specified herein is hereby deemed to represent the amount reasonably
calculated as necessary to reimburse the borough for the expense incurred
in performing such removal. Such amounts shall be certified by any
borough department head, in writing, which writing shall then presumptively
establish the amount of such reimbursement due to the borough. Such
reimbursement expenses may be collected by the borough in connection
with any Municipal Court proceeding to punish a violation of this
Article and shall be in addition to any fines imposed by the Court.
Nothing in this Article shall be deemed to pertain
to the placing or affixing of signs, posters, handbills or other writings
on private property.