[Adopted 1-18-1971 by Ord. No. 393 as Ch. 29 of the 1971 Code.]
The owner or tenant of lands lying within the
limits of Galloway Township shall keep all brush, hedges and other
plant life growing within 10 feet of any roadway and within 25 feet
of the intersection of two roadways cut to a height of not more than
2 1/2 feet where it shall be necessary and expedient for the
preservation of the public safety, as determined by the Road Foreman
of Galloway Township.
Upon failure of said owner or tenant to comply with the provisions of §
119-1 of this article for a period of 10 days after receipt of written notice to so comply, the Road Foremen of the Township of Galloway shall have said brush, hedges and other plant life cut to a height of not more than 2 1/2 feet, which cutting shall be conducted under the direction of said Road Foreman.
Upon completion of cutting of said brush, hedges and other plant life in accordance with provisions of §
119-2 of this article, the Road Foreman shall certify the cost thereof to the governing body, which shall examine the certificate and, if found correct, shall cause the cost as shown thereon to be charged against said lands, or in the event that such cost is excessive, shall cause the reasonable cost thereof to be charged against said lands.
The amount so charged shall forthwith become
a lien upon such lands and shall be added to and become and form part
of the taxes next to be assessed and levied upon such lands, the same
to bear interest at same rate as other taxes and shall be collected
and enforced by the same officer and in the same manner as taxes.
[Amended 1-18-1971 by Ord. No. 393; 6-28-2005 by Ord. No. 1609; 12-13-2016 by Ord. No. 1951-2016]
Any owner or tenant of lands lying within the
limits of Galloway Township, violating the terms of this article,
shall be subject to a fine of not more than $2,000, imprisonment for
not more than 90 days and/or a period of community service for not
more than 90 days.
[Adopted 9-27-2022 by Ord. No. 2092-2022]
In the event it is determined that there is an encroachment
or invasion on any adjoining private or public property or public
right-of-way, the Township shall notify the property owner, in writing,
that the bamboo or other invasive plant species has invaded other
private or public property or public right-of-way and demand the removal
of the bamboo or other invasive plant species from such other private
or public property or public right-of-way and the confinement against
future encroachment or the total removal of the bamboo or other invasive
plant species from the owner's property. Notice shall be provided
by certified, return-receipt-requested mail and regular mail. If the
bamboo's or other invasive plant species' property owner does not
remove the bamboo or other invasive plant species from such other
private or public property or public right-of-way within 45 days of
the date of notice, the Code Enforcement Officer shall cause a citation
to be issued with a penalty up to $100 for each day the violation
continues, enforceable through the Central Municipal Court of Atlantic
County, as well as civil proceedings for injunctive or civil relief.
Except as otherwise provided in §
119-9 above, any person, firm, corporation or other entity violating any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine of not less than $500 but not more than $2,000, or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, or by a period of community service not exceeding ninety 90 days. Any such penalty shall be in addition to the costs incurred in cutting or removing said brush, hedges or other plant life described in the notice given by the Chief of Police, or his designated representative, of the Township of Galloway. For purposes of this article, each day on which such a condition exists after the expiration of the notice shall be deemed or constitute a separate offense under this article, and separate complaints may be filed for each such offense.