First Municipal Hearing Conducted Under New Code Enforcement Ordinance
May 31, 2015
Revere – The City of Revere held its first series of Municipal Hearings under the new Ch. 40U ordinance this past Tuesday, May 26th, at the Revere Police Department Community Room. The new Hearings Officer, former City Solicitor Robert Marra, conducted these hearings.
Under the new ordinance, appeals of health and sanitary code violations are held internally as opposed to Chelsea District Court. Hearings will be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, giving property owners the opportunity to air their grievances and to resolve disputes pertaining to their violation in a prompt and fair manner.
Mayor Dan Rizzo, along with several departments across City Government, and with support from the Revere City Council, elected to embark on an effort to combat problem properties using Mass General Laws, Ch. 40U to enforce compliance with health and sanitary codes. This new code enforcement tool establishes a number of key changes that the community should be aware of, among the most notable are:
- Tickets may carry a maximum fine of $500 per violation/per day.
- The property owner has 21 days to pay or appeal the violation in person or in writing.
- If the owner fails to respond, the owner receives an additional notification providing another 30 days to pay.
- If unpaid after the 30-day period, the ticket, regardless of the initial amount, increases to the maximum $500, and is automatically transferred to the City Tax Collector who attaches the unpaid fine to the property’s tax bill. Similar to unpaid taxes, this effectively turns the unpaid fine into a municipal lien that will accrue interest the longer it goes unpaid.
“During the Spring and Summer months, Inspectional Services is out in force targeting health and sanitary code violations that negatively impact the quality of life across our community. We are looking out for trash, high grass, and other unsightly problems in neighborhoods,” stated Nicholas Catinazzo, Director of Inspectional Services.
If you would like to learn more about the new code enforcement ordinance please visit the Inspectional Services Department page on www.revere.org or call the Mayor’s Office at 781-286-8111 or email revere_mayor@revere.org.