[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township
of Quinton 11-5-2014 by Ord. No.
2014-14. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Wherever any designated officer of the Township of Quinton,
or member of the State Police, shall determine that it is necessary
and expedient for the preservation of the public health, safety and
general welfare or to eliminate a fire hazard that there be removed
from lands, dwellings or other structures within the Township of Quinton
weeds, dead and dying trees, stumps, roots, obnoxious growths, filth,
garbage, trash and debris or grass or weeds or other vegetation which
has reached a height of 10 inches, there shall be given by said person
to the owner or tenant of said lands, dwellings or other structures
10 days' notice to remove the same, whereupon the owner or tenant
of said lands, dwellings or other structures shall be required within
said period to remove the same. For the purposes of this section,
the phrase "garbage, trash and debris" shall include, but not be limited
to, tires, motor vehicle parts, construction waste such as wood, bricks
and glass, and dirt, sand or other piled material.
In the event that the owner or tenant shall refuse or neglect
to carry out the above-mentioned order of removal within the time
mentioned, the designated Township official involved, or State Police
Officer, shall sign a complaint against such owner or tenant for violation
of this chapter, and successive complaints shall be made up every
ten-day period from the signing of the original complaint that said
owner or tenant fails to comply with this article. Such successive
ten-day period shall constitute separate and distinct violations and
render the said owner or tenant liable to the penalties hereinafter
provided.
Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall
be subject to a penalty, for each offense, of not less than $100 nor
more than $2,000. Any person who is convicted of violating this chapter
within one year of the date of a previous violation of this chapter
and who was fined for the previous violation, shall be sentenced by
the court to an additional fine as a repeat offender. The additional
fine imposed by the court upon a person for a repeated offense shall
not be less than the minimum or exceed the maximum fine fixed for
a violation of this chapter, but shall be calculated separately from
the fine imposed for the violation of the chapter.
In the event that the owner or tenant shall refuse or neglect
to carry out the above-mentioned order of removal within the time
mentioned, the same may be removed by the Township of Quinton, and
the officer in charge of said removal shall certify the cost thereof
on appropriate certificate to the Township Committee.
If said certificate is found correct, the Township Committee
shall cause the cost of removal as shown thereon to be charged against
said lands, dwellings or other structures, and the amount so charged
shall forthwith become a lien upon such lands, dwellings or other
structures, and shall be added to and become a part of the taxes next
to be assessed and levied upon said lands, dwellings or other structures,
the same to bear interest at the same rate as taxes and shall be controlled
by the same officer and in the same manner as taxes.
