Chapter 7.20
RENEWAL AND REPAIR OF SIDEWALKS – ASSESSMENT
Sections:
7.20.010 Burden on abutting property.
7.20.020 Sidewalk unfit for public travel – Notice to owner.
7.20.040 Notice to owner – What to contain.
7.20.050 Assessment – Procedure and enforcement.
7.20.060 “Abutting property” and “sidewalk” defined.
7.20.010 Burden on abutting property.
Whenever any street, lane, square, place or alley within the city of Ritzville, Washington, shall have been improved by the construction of a sidewalk or sidewalks along either or both sides thereof, the duty, burden and expense of maintenance, repair and renewal of such sidewalk or sidewalks shall devolve upon the property directly abutting upon that side of such street along which such sidewalk has been constructed as hereinafter provided. (Ord. 174 § 1, 1912).
7.20.020 Sidewalk unfit for public travel – Notice to owner.
Whenever in the judgment of the chief of police the condition of any sidewalk is such as to render the same unfit or unsafe for the purposes of public travel, the said chief of police shall thereupon serve a notice in writing on the owner of the property immediately abutting upon said portion of said sidewalk of the condition thereof. (Ord. 174 § 2, 1912).
7.20.030 Service of notice.
Said notice shall be served by delivering in person to the owner of the property or his authorized agent, or by leaving a copy of such notice at the home of the owner or authorized agent, in some conspicuous place therein or thereon; or, if the owner is a nonresident, by mailing a copy to his last known address; or, if the owner of the property be unknown or his address be unknown, then by mailing such notice addressed to the general delivery office in said city of Ritzville. (Ord. 174 § 3, 1912).
7.20.040 Notice to owner – What to contain.
Said notice shall instruct and direct the said owner to clean, repair or renew the said portion of the sidewalk; and such notice shall specify a reasonable time within which such cleaning, repairs or renewal shall be executed by said owner, and shall state that in case said owner shall fail to do such cleaning or make such repairs or renewal within the time specified, then the said officer will proceed to clean said walk or to make such repairs or renewal forthwith, and will report to the city council at its next regular meeting or as soon thereafter as possible, the date to be definitely stated in said notice, an assessment roll showing the lot or parcel of land immediately abutting on that portion of sidewalk so improved, the cost of such improvement or repair, and the name of the owner if known, and that the council will hear any and all protests against the proposed assessment. (Ord. 174 § 4, 1912).
7.20.050 Assessment – Procedure and enforcement.
The city council shall at the time in such notice designated or at such time or times to which said hearing may be adjourned, assess the cost of such work against said property in accordance with the benefits derived therefrom, which said charge shall become a lien upon said property and shall be collected by an action to foreclose said lien in any court of competent jurisdiction, or by any other due process of law. (Ord. 174 § 5, 1912).
7.20.060 “Abutting property” and “sidewalk” defined.
For the purpose of this chapter, all property having a frontage upon the said sides or margin of any street shall be deemed to be “abutting property,” and such property shall be chargeable as provided by this chapter for all costs of maintenance, repairs or renewal of any form of sidewalk improvement between the said street margin and the roadway lying in front of and adjacent to said property, and the term “sidewalk,” as intended for the purposes of this chapter, shall be taken to include any and all structures or forms of street improvement included in the space between the street margin and the roadway. (Ord. 174 § 6, 1912).