Procedure. The City Council may, from time to time, on its own motion or on petition, or on recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission, after public notice and hearings thereon as provided herein, amend, supplement, change, modify, or repeal the regulations and restrictions as established herein and may change, restrict, or extend the boundaries of the various districts established herein. Before taking any action upon any proposed amendment, modification, change, restriction, or extension, the same shall be referred by the City Council to the Planning and Zoning Commission for report and recommendation.

Notice Of Hearings. No action on an amendment, change, modification, or repeal shall be taken until after the Planning and Zoning Commission holds a public hearing in relation thereto, at which parties in interest and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard. Notice of the time and place of such hearing shall be published at least fifteen (15) days before the hearing in an official paper, or a paper of general circulation in the City of Aurora. The notice to the parties in interest shall contain the general nature of the proposed amendments as well as the text. If the intended action is to involve or affect land that touches or adjoins other land and the total size of the land on which the action is intended is smaller than three (3) city blocks of the average size for the City of Aurora, the owners of said adjoining land within an area determined by the lines drawn parallel to and one hundred eight-five (185) feet distant from the boundaries of the district proposed to be changed shall be mailed a notice of the intended action to the address given in the City tax records as that of the present record owner of said adjoining property.

Protest. If a protest against such amendment, change, modification, repeal, restriction, or extension shall be presented, duly signed, and acknowledged by the owners of thirty percent (30%) or more, either of the land (exclusive of streets and alleys) included in such proposed change, or within an area determined by lines drawn parallel to and one hundred eighty-five (185) feet distant from the boundaries of the district proposed to be changed, such amendment shall not be passed except by a favorable vote of two-thirds (2/3) of all the members of the City Council.

Hearing On Application And Costs Thereof. The Planning and Zoning Commission shall hold a public hearing on each application for an amendment at such time and place as shall be established by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The hearing shall be conducted and a record of such proceedings shall be preserved in such manner as the Planning and Zoning Commission shall, by rule, prescribe from time to time. All costs and expenses regarding the amendment or variance request, including any publication costs, shall be paid by the individual or organization seeking the approval of the amendment or variance.

Findings Of Fact And Recommendation Of The Planning and Zoning Commission. The Planning and Zoning Commission shall submit recommendations to the City Council within thirty (30) days after the close of the public hearing and any adjournment thereof. Where the purpose and effect of the proposed amendment is to change the zoning classification of particular property, the Planning and Zoning Commission shall also make findings of fact based upon the evidence presented to it in each specific case with respect to the following matters and shall submit the same to the City Council simultaneously with its recommendations.

Amendments Involving A Planned Development District.

In case any building or structure is erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, converted, or maintained, or any building, structure, or land is used in violation of Sections 89.010 to 89.140, RSMo., or of any ordinance or other regulation made under authority conferred hereby, the proper City authorities, in addition to other remedies, may institute any appropriate action or proceedings to prevent such unlawful erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, conversion, maintenance, or use, to restrain, correct, or abate such violation, to prevent the occupancy of such building, structure, or land, or to prevent any illegal act, conduct, business, or use in or about such premises. Such regulations shall be enforced by an officer empowered to cause any building, structure, place, or premises to be inspected and examined and to order in writing the remedying of any condition found to exist therein or thereat in violation of any provision of the regulations made under authority of Sections 89.010 to 89.140, RSMo.

The owner or general agent of a building or premises where a violation of any provision of said regulations has been committed or shall exist, or the lessee or tenant of an entire building or entire premises where such violation has been committed or shall exist, or the owner, general agent, lessee, or tenant of any part of the building or premises in which such violation has been committed or shall exist, or the general agent, architect, builder, contractor, or any other person who commits, takes part or assists in any such violation, or who maintains any building or premises in which any such violation shall exist shall be guilty of an ordinance violation punishable by a fine of not less than ten dollars ($10.00) and not more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) for each and every day that such violation continues, or by imprisonment for ten (10) days for each and every day such violation shall continue, or by both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 82.300, RSMo., for the second and subsequent offenses involving the same violation at the same building or premises, the punishment shall be a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) or more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each and every day that such violation shall continue, or by imprisonment for ten (10) days for each and every day such violation shall continue, or by both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court.

Any such person who, having been served with an order to remove any such violation, shall fail to comply with such order within ten (10) days after such service or shall continue to violate any provision of the regulations made under authority of Sections 89.010 to 89.140, RSMo., in the respect named in such order shall also be subject to a civil penalty of two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00).

The City Clerk shall furnish to the Planning and Zoning Commission a copy of all original notices of construction, movement or structural changes at the next regular meeting of that body after notice has been made.

The City Manager shall appoint a Building Official who shall be furnished a copy of such notice and who shall make an inspection of the property to ascertain that the proposed construction or movement will not violate provisions of this Zoning Code, and shall issue a permit to the owner of the property if he/she finds it will not violate the provisions herein. Such initial inspection shall be made not more than ten (10) days after the receipt of notice by the City Clerk, and a copy of the permit issued shall be forwarded to the Planning and Zoning Commission within twenty-four (24) hours after it is issued.

The Building Official shall also inspect the property subsequent to completion of construction or movement, and report compliance or non-compliance to the Planning and Zoning Commission not more than thirty (30) days after such completion of construction or movement.