Alabama § 11-67-43 - Failure to Abate Condition; Assessing Cost of Abatement.

§ 11-67-43. Failure to Abate Condition; Assessing Cost of Abatement.

(a) If the owner fails, neglects, or refuses to abate the condition after notice to do so, the enforcing official shall cause the offending grass or weeds to be cut.

(b) Upon completion of the abatement work performed by the city, including work by contractors employed by the city, the enforcing official shall compute the actual expenses, including, but not limited to, total wages paid, value of the use of equipment, advertising expenses, postage, and materials purchased, which were incurred by the city as a result of the work. An itemized statement of the expenses shall be given by first class mail to the last known address of the owner of the property. This notice shall be sent at least five days in advance of the time fixed by the city council to consider the assessment of the cost against property.

(c) At the time fixed for receiving and considering the statement, the council shall hear the same, together with any objections which may be raised by the owner whose property is liable to be assessed for the work and thereupon make modifications in the statement as they deem necessary, after which a resolution may assess the cost. The cost stated in the resolution shall constitute a special assessment against the land and shall constitute a lien on the property. The city clerk shall charge the assessments against the respective lots and parcels of land for municipal purposes. Thereafter, the amounts shall be collected at the same time and in the same manner as ordinary municipal assessments are collected, and shall be subject to the same penalties and the same procedure under foreclosure and sale in case of delinquency as provided for ordinary municipal assessments.

(d) The city clerk shall cause a certified copy of the resolution assessing the cost of abatement to be filed for recording in the office of the judge of probate and shall forward a copy to the county tax collector. Upon a filing the tax collector shall add the amount of the lien to the ad valorem tax bill on the property and shall collect the amount as if it were a tax, using all methods available for collecting ad valorem tax, and remit the amount to the city.