The purpose of this article is to establish
requirements to prohibit the feeding of unconfined wildlife in any
public park or on any other property owned or operated by the Village
of Ridgewood so as to protect public health, safety and welfare, and
to prescribe penalties for the failure to comply.
For the purpose of this article, the following
terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meanings
stated herein unless their use in the text of this article clearly
demonstrates a different meaning. When not inconsistent with the context,
words used in the present tense include the future; words used in
the plural number include the singular number, and words used in the
singular number include the plural number. The word "shall" is always
mandatory and not merely directory.
FEED
To give, place, expose, deposit, distribute or scatter any
edible material with the intention of feeding, attracting, or enticing
wildlife. Feeding does not include the baiting in the legal taking
of fish and/or game in accordance with applicable regulations.
PERSON
Any individual, corporation, company, partnership, firm,
association, or political subdivision of this state subject to municipal
jurisdiction.
WILDLIFE
All animals that are neither human nor domesticated.
It shall be unlawful for any person to feed,
in any public park or on any other real property owned or operated
by the Village of Ridgewood, any wildlife.
The provisions of this article shall be enforced
by the Village of Ridgewood Police Department, and/or the Construction
Official, and/or the Health Department Sanitarian, and/or the Director
of Public Works or his/her designated representative.
Any person(s) who is found to be in violation of the provisions of this article shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000 per violation. Chapter
105 of the Code of the Village of Ridgewood shall be modified by the addition of Article
VIII by this article to establish a minimum fine of $25 and a maximum fine of $1,000 per violation.