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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinances - No. 1738ORDINANCE NO. 1738 OF LODl AM~NDIN~ AND SAFETY - MENTAL RESP ’ SECTION “2,” AND 8.24.040 - “LIA~ILITY,” ECTION “F,” TO THE LODl MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO A~AT~M~NT A~~ION COST AND RECOVERY ISSUES _____________________s_____________s____------------------ _-_______________1______l________s______-------------------------------- BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LODl AS FOLLOWS: Section 8.24.010 “Definitions” Subsection “2 of the Lodi Municipal Code is led and reenacted to read as follows: 2. The term “abatement action costs” means: A. at or in connection with any site (or any separate s ivision or area within a site) at which the city is not liable under 42 U.S.C.$ 9607 for the co response to site conditions resulting in whole or in part from the release or threaten^ release of hazardous substances to which the city has responded or is responding under this chapter, any and all legal, technical, or admin~strative fees and costs, and interest and other costs of financing incurred by the city in performing or preparing to perform an abatement action in compliance with the requirements of this chapter. The term “abatement action costs“ shall specifically include, but shall not be limited to, any and all of the following costs incurred by the city: to retain expert assistance in health, law, engineering, and environmental science, expert witness services and legal fees and reasonable costs of litigation (including, but not limited to, internal costs of the city attorney’s office or outside legal counsel deemed necessary at the sole discretion of the city to effectively respond to conditions at and emanating from the site) to study, inv~s~iga~e, abate, remove, remediate, or respond to an actual or threatened environmental nuisance or any endangerment to the public healti/, welfare, or the environment that may be presented by an actual OF threatened environmental duisance; ii. to investigate or respond to the existence, or threat of an environmental nuisance; iii. to monitor, assess, or evaluate an environmental nuisance or any endangerment to the public health, welfare, or the environment that may be presented by an actual or threatened env~ronmental nuisance; iv. to prevent, minimize, or mitigate an environmental nuisance or any endangerment to the public health, welfare, or the environment that may be presented by an actual or thfeat~ned enviro~mental nu~sance; to oversee and monitor the performance by any responsible party of any investigation or abatement action in response to a condition which is or may be an environmental nuisance; vi. to review, comment on, or revise a responsible party‘s plans and proposals submitted pursuant to Section 8.24.050(E) or to oversee and monitor the performance by any responsible party of any of the monitoring and testing activities which may be required pursuant to Section 8.24.050(E); to prepare for or undertake necessary enforcement activity authorized by this Chapter 8.24, including the recovery of abatement action costs incurred or to be incurred by the city or any injunctive relief authorized by this chapter to respond to an environmental nuisance, including enfofcement activity deemed necessary by the city to obtain information and site access authorized by this chapter; and i. v. vii. viii. costs of inves ation and evaluation, as authorized by the city council, of such financing, with recourse to t maximum exte ilable solely against the present and future assets and recoveries pledged to comprehensive municipal environmen~al response fund or any sub-fund of the comprehensive municipal environmentai response fund created by the city council as authorized by Section 8.24.070(A), as may be necessary and proper to accomplish the purposes set forth in this chapter; and ix. costs of issuing, servicing, and retiring of any financing instruments authorized by the city council as provided in Section 8.24.070, with recourse to the maximum extent available solely against the present and future assets and recoveries pledged to the comprehensive municipal environmental response fund or any sub-fund of the comprehensive municipal environmental response fund created by the city council as authorized by Section 8.2~.070(A); and 8. At or in connection with any site (or any separate subdivision or area within a site) to which the city has responded or is responding under this ch , and at which the city is liable under 42 U.S.C.Cj 9607 for the costs of response to site co s resulting in whole or in part from the release or threatened release of hazardous substances, all such fees and costs included within the definition set forth in subsection 2(a) of this Section 8.24.010, except that such term shall not for purposes of this chapter include, at or in connec~ion with any site (or any separate subsection or area within a site) to which this subsection 2(b) applies, any a~orneys fees and costs, expert witness fees and costs or other litigation costs incurred or to be incurred by the city in the preparation or conduct of any litigation to recover abatement action costs pursuant to this chapter, or to secure judicial abatement of an environmental nuisance pursuant to this chapter. C. Notwi term shall not in issued pursuant to Sec~ion ~.24.050(~) of this chapter prior to the entry of a judicial order upholding that information demand, in whole or in part. ing the provisions of subparag~aphs (a) and (b) of this subse ny costs incurred to compel compl~ance with an informati Section 8.24.040 - "Liability" Subsection "F" of the Lodi Municipal Code is hereby reena~ted to read as follows: F. Recovery of Attorneys Fees By Prevailing Party Pursuant to California Government Code Section 38773.5. litigation expenses, including attorneys and expert witness ts may be recovered by the prevailing party in any brought or continued in whole or in part pursuant to this chapter by the city attorney: a. to recover abatement action costs incurred and to be incurred by the City of Ladi; b. to or compel compliance with an Abatement Action Order issued pursuant to this c , to enforce an information demand, or an access, inspection or monitoring order, following a judicial order upholding the demand or order in whole or in part; or to secure abatement of an actual or threatened endanger men^ to the public health, welfare, or the environment arising out of, in whole or in part, an actual or threatened environmental nuisance. C. 2. No~ithstanding Paragraph 1 ection F, the recovery of such fees and s’ fees, by the pr y is strictly limited to those individual in which the city elects, at the initiation of that individual action or All o~dinances and parts of o~dinances in conflict herewith are repealed insofar . No Mandatory Duty of Care. This ordinance is not intended to and shall not be r given effect in a manner which imposes upon the City, or any officer or employee of care towards persons or property within the City or outside of the ry of its own attorneys‘ fees. City so as to provide a basis of civil liability for damages, except as otherwise imposed by law. Severability. If any provision of this ordinance or the application thereof to any ircumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or of the ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application. To this end, the provisions of this ordinance are severable. The City Council hereby declares that it would have adopted this ordinance irrespective of the invalidity of any particular portion thereof. 6. Effect of On-going Actions. The effect of this Ordinance upon preceding or on- so dings shall be determined in accord with the following provisions of this the repeal of Section 8.24.010(2) and Section 8.24.040(F) of y Code by operation of s ions 1 and 2 of this Act, any action e Subsections shall remain in , and be subject to Chapter 8.24 ion 8.24.010) of Title 8 of the Health and Safety Code, as including the y section 1 of this Act. I and reenactment of Section 8.24.010(2) and Secti n 8.24.040(F) of afety Code by sections I and 2 of this Act shall no t/ terminate, affect, or modify any proceeding, order, or agreement issued or entered into by the City, or any officer or employee of the City pursuant to Chapter 8.24, or any rights or obligations arising out of or pursuant to those provisions, and no~i~hstanding the effective date of this act, the provisions of Chapter 8.24 (commencing with Section 8.24.010~ of Title 8 of the Health and Safety Code, as includjng the subsections reenacted by sections 1 and 2 of this Act, shall apply retroactively to those proceedings, orders, or agreements. . This ordinance shall be published one time in the “Lodi News-Sentinel,” a daily f general circulation printed and published in the City of Lodi and shall take effect thirty days from and after its passage and approval. Approved this 7Ih day of January, 2004 ckston, City Clerk of the City of Lodi, do hereby certify that Ordinance No. Council of the City of Lodi held and ordered to print at a regular at a regular meeting of thereafter pass~d~ eld January 7, 2004, by th ng vote: AVES: COUNCIL MEMBERS - Beckman, Howard, and Land COUNCIL MEMBERS - Hitchcock and Mayor Hansen CIL MEMBERS - None CIL MEMBERS - None th dt inance No. 1738 was appr e has been published pur and signed by the Mayor on the date of Approved as to Form: USA AN J. BLACKSTON City Clerk