[Adopted 6-22-2004 (Title 4, Ch. 4.24, of the 1986 Code)]
This article is adopted pursuant to the authority of MGL c. 40, § 21 and MGL c. 40, § 58, as amended, and any other relevant statutes and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.
The purpose of this article is to establish a municipal charges lien program to provide a cost-effective method of collecting a charge and/or fee assessed against an owner of real property in the City of Springfield who fails and/or refuses to pay said charge and/or fee when due, by placing a lien upon the real estate owned by the property owner.
The municipal charges lien shall apply to the following municipal charges and/or fees:
A. 
Charges or penalties for violations of the general ordinances of the City, including interest and all costs to record said lien(s) in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
B. 
Charges or penalties for violations of the zoning ordinances of the City, including interest and all costs to record said lien(s) in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
C. 
Charges or penalties for violations of the Massachusetts state sanitary codes, including interest and all costs to record said lien(s) in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
D. 
Charges or penalties for violations of the Massachusetts state building codes, including interest and all costs to record said lien(s) in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
The municipal charges lien will take effect upon the recording of a statement of unpaid municipal charges and fees, setting forth the amount due, including recording cost, and any administrative fee, the address(es) of the land to which the lien is to apply and the name of the assessed owner.
A. 
The Tax Collector shall be in charge of collecting the lien.
B. 
The City Clerk shall notify the issuing department head of all tickets that have been paid or appealed to the courts at the end of each month.
C. 
The issuing department head shall prepare a statement of municipal charges liens for each person from the list(s) received from the City Clerk or person responsible for collecting the charge, fee or penalty and shall forward said statement of lien to the Tax Collector, who shall cause said statement(s) to be recorded in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
A. 
If the charge or fee secured by the lien is unpaid when the Assessors are preparing the real estate list and warrant, the Tax Collector shall certify the charge, fee or penalty to the Assessors' Department and the Assessors shall add the charge, fee or penalty to the next property tax bill to which it relates, and commit it with the warrant to the Tax Collector as part of the tax.
B. 
If the property to which the charge fee relates is tax-exempt, the charge or fee shall be committed as a tax on said property.
The municipal charges lien may be discharged by the filing of a certificate from the Tax Collector that all municipal charges or fees constituting a lien, together with any interests and costs, have been paid or legally abated.
The issuing department head or City Clerk, prior to a charge or fee being certified to the Assessors by the Tax Collector under § 42-19, may abate any charge or fee for justifiable cause, which shall be effective upon the issuing of a written statement setting forth said cause, and filing of said statement with the Tax Collector.