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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0494 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC001554 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO TOWNS AN D CITIES -- ORDINANCES |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators Burke, Tikoian, McKenney, Pearson, and Appollonio |
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| 17 | 17 | | Date Introduced: February 26, 2025 |
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| 18 | 18 | | Referred To: Senate Housing & Municipal Government |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 1. Section 45-6-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 45-6 entitled "Ordinances" is 1 |
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| 23 | 23 | | hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
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| 24 | 24 | | 45-6-2. Imposition of penalties for ordinance violations. 3 |
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| 25 | 25 | | (a) Town and city councils may impose penalties for the violation of ordinances and 4 |
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| 26 | 26 | | regulations, not exceeding in amount five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisonment not exceeding 5 |
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| 27 | 27 | | thirty (30) days in some jail or house of correction, and/or require restitution in cases involving 6 |
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| 28 | 28 | | property damage or personal injury in an amount up to twenty-five hundred dollars ($2,500) and/or 7 |
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| 29 | 29 | | require community restitution for a not-for-profit entity for not more than fifty (50) hours for any 8 |
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| 30 | 30 | | one offense, to be prosecuted by some officer appointed for that purpose, and to be recovered to 9 |
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| 31 | 31 | | the use of the town or city, or of the person or persons, and in the proportions, that the councils in 10 |
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| 32 | 32 | | their ordinances and regulations designate. 11 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (b) Whenever a municipality issues a fine for a violation of an ordinance, those fines shall 12 |
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| 34 | 34 | | be a lien against the real property owned by the violator located within the municipality. If the fine 13 |
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| 35 | 35 | | is not paid by the violator within ninety (90) days of issuance of the fine, a lien shall be recorded 14 |
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| 36 | 36 | | with the records of land evidence of the municipality where the violating property is located and 15 |
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| 37 | 37 | | the lien shall also incur interest at the rate of twelve percent (12%) per year, from the date of 16 |
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| 38 | 38 | | recording. The costs incurred by the municipality to remediate issues caused by the ordinance 17 |
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| 39 | 39 | | violation(s), along with the unpaid fine, shall be added to the amount of taxes due on the real estate 18 |
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| 40 | 40 | | where the violation(s) was located, and the tax collector of that municipality shall include those 19 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | LC001554 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 44 | 44 | | amounts on tax bills owed by the property owner. 1 |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 2 |
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| 46 | 46 | | ======== |
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| 47 | 47 | | LC001554 |
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| 48 | 48 | | ======== |
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| 49 | 49 | | |
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| 50 | 50 | | |
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| 51 | 51 | | LC001554 - Page 3 of 3 |
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| 52 | 52 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 53 | 53 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 54 | 54 | | OF |
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| 55 | 55 | | A N A C T |
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| 56 | 56 | | RELATING TO TOWNS AN D CITIES -- ORDINANCES |
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| 57 | 57 | | *** |
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| 58 | 58 | | This act would allow unpaid fines for violations of municipal ordinances to be recorded as 1 |
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| 59 | 59 | | a lien in the land records, where the violating real property is located. The lien would be added to 2 |
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| 60 | 60 | | amount of real estate taxes owed on the property at issue. 3 |
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| 61 | 61 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 4 |
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| 62 | 62 | | ======== |
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| 63 | 63 | | LC001554 |
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| 64 | 64 | | ======== |
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| 65 | 65 | | |
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