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Council updates Parma nuisance-abatement code to broaden scope and change fee language
Summary
Council adopted an amendment to Chapter 17.07 (nuisance abatement) to remove potentially problematic language and clarify that abatement applies to residential and nonresidential premises; the ordinance removes an automatic surcharge formula and replaces it with recoverable administrative and direct costs.
Parma City Council adopted Ordinance 173-25 to amend section 17.07.21 of the codified ordinances governing nuisance abatement at buildings, structures and premises. The law department and building department presented the changes after identifying ambiguities and at least one phrase that could raise constitutional concerns. The amendments clarify that the abatement authority applies to residential and nonresidential premises and strike a previously automatic formula ("70% times number of hours") that was part of a surcharge calculation. The removed language was replaced with a provision that allows the building department to recover actual administrative and direct costs incurred in abating chronic nuisance violations. Council members were told the law department reviewed the code and recommended the revisions to avoid constitutional exposure and to ensure the city can recoup abatement costs. The ordinance passed on suspension as an emergency matter and was adopted after a roll-call vote. The transcript records that the law department "caught some ambiguities" and proposed two fixes: broadened applicability and deletion of the automatic surcharge language. The ordinance will be implemented through the building department’s abatement process; no specific cases or cost figures were cited on the record.
