§ 36-132. Review hearing.

(a)

Upon request, a hearing shall be held before a hearing officer to allow the owner of a vehicle determined to be in violation of this chapter the opportunity to refute such determination. All hearings shall be informal and not bound by any formal rules of evidence.

(b)

The hearing officer shall be qualified by having practiced law in the State of Louisiana as a licensed attorney for at least two (2) years and he/she shall be a resident of Jefferson Parish. Any attorney in the employ of Jefferson Parish who is not assigned the responsibility of enforcing the provisions herein and who meets the foregoing qualifications shall also be authorized to act in the capacity of hearing officer, upon appointment. The hearing officer shall be appointed by the parish attorney and shall serve at his will.

(c)

The hearing officer shall be empowered to hear testimony and examine all evidence presented to make a determination of the status of any vehicle, and to order dismissal of the action if improper or release of the vehicle if it was towed unlawfully, or to require payment of costs for towing and storage, and penalties in an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) before the vehicle will be released if the action was proper. If the costs and penalties are not paid within a period of time prescribed by the hearing officer, never to exceed thirty (30) days, the vehicle will be destroyed or sold to defray costs or, if not already in storage, it will be removed and, likewise, destroyed or sold to defray costs.

(Ord. No. 16602, § IV, 9-11-85; Ord. No. 16827, § I, 3-19-86; Ord. No. 18577, § 1, 8-19-92; Ord. No. 22801, § 5, 7-19-06)