a. The application for abandonment of roadways or easements shall be submitted to the Planning and Development Department, except that requests for exchanges or for disposition of unnecessary public roadways pursuant to Section 31-64 may be made by letter, instead of formal application. But if the Planning and Development Department determines that a formal application is needed to more fully examine the proposed disposition, then a formal application will be required.

b. The Planning and Development Director shall appoint a member of the Planning and Development Department to serve as the hearing officer for all abandonment applications. The hearing officer shall hold a public hearing in relation to the proposed abandonment at which parties in interest and citizens have an opportunity to be heard. The date, time and place of such meeting and abandonment requested shall be posted within the area included in the abandonment so as to give at least seven days’ notice of such abandonment hearing. After such public hearing, the hearing officer shall make a recommendation to the Council.

c. City Council may approve the hearing officer’s recommendation without holding another public hearing unless a member of the public, a City Council member, or a City department within fifteen calendar days after the hearing officer announces his recommendation, requests in writing that a public hearing be held on the proposed abandonment.

d. In the event that a public hearing before the City Council is to be held, the date, time and place of such hearing and abandonment requested shall be posted within the area included in the abandonment so as to give at least seven days’ notice of such Council hearing. (Code 1962, § 35-82; Ord. No. G-1986, § 1; Ord. No. G-3313, § 1; Ord. No. G-3497, § 1; Ord. No. G-5332, § 1, 2009; Ord. No. G-5590, § 1, 2011)