Hallsville Regulations Governing Subdivision of Land; Limitations; Contents: Public Hearing: Escrow Funds; When Released ordinance (§ 400.120)

A. The Planning Commission shall recommend and the Board of Aldermen may by ordinance adopt regulations governing the subdivision of land within its jurisdiction. The regulations, in addition to the requirements provided by law for the approval of plats, may provide requirements for the coordinated development of the City; for the coordination of streets within subdivisions with other existing or planned streets or with other features of the City plan or Official Map of the City; for adequate open spaces for traffic, recreation, light and air; and for a distribution of population and traffic; provided that, the City may only impose requirements for the posting of bonds, letters of credit or escrows for subdivision-related improvements as provided for in Subsections (B) to (E) of this Section.

B. The regulation may include requirements as to the extent and the manner in which the streets of the subdivision or any designated portions thereto shall be graded and improved as well as including requirements as to the extent and manner of the installation of all utility facilities. Compliance with all of these requirements is a condition precedent to the approval of the plat. The regulations or practice of the Board of Aldermen may provide for the tentative approval of the plat previous to the improvements and utility installations; but any tentative approval shall not be entered on the plat. The regulations may provide that, in lieu of the completion of the work and installations previous to the final approval of a plat, the Board of Aldermen shall accept, at the option of the developer, an escrow secured with cash or an irrevocable letter of credit deposited with the City. The City may accept a surety bond, and such bond shall be in an amount and with surety and other reasonable conditions, providing for and securing the actual construction and installation of the improvements and utilities within a period specified by the Board of Aldermen and expressed in the bond. The release of any such escrow, letter of credit, or bond by the City shall be as specified in this Section. The Board of Aldermen may enforce the escrow or bond by all appropriate legal and equitable remedies. The regulations may provide, in lieu of the completion of the work and installations previous to the final approval of a plat, for an assessment or other method whereby the Board of Aldermen is put in an assured position to do the work and make the installations at the cost of the owners of the property within the subdivision. The regulations may provide for the dedication, reservation or acquisition of lands and open spaces necessary for public uses indicated on the City plan and for appropriate means of providing for the compensation, including reasonable charges against the subdivision, if any, and over a period of time and in a manner as is in the public interest.

C. The regulations shall provide that in the event a developer who has posted an escrow, or letter of credit, or bond with the City in accordance with Subsection (B) of this Section transfers title of the subdivision property prior to full release of the escrow, letter of credit, or bond, the municipality shall accept a replacement escrow or letter of credit from the successor developer in the form allowed in Subsection (B) of this Section and in the amount of the escrow or letter of credit held by the City at the time of the property transfer, and upon receipt of the replacement escrow or letter of credit, the City shall release the original escrow or letter of credit in full and release the prior developer from all further obligations with respect to the subdivision improvements if the successor developer assumes all of the outstanding obligations of the previous developer. The City may accept a surety bond from the successor developer in the form allowed in Subsection (B) of this Section and in the amount of the bond held by the City at the time of the property transfer, and upon receipt of the replacement bond, the City shall release the original bond in full, and release the prior developer from all further obligations with respect to the subdivision improvements.

D. The regulations shall provide that any escrow or bond amount held by the City to secure actual construction and installation on each component of the improvements or utilities shall be released within thirty (30) days of completion of each category of improvement or utility work to be installed, minus a maximum retention of five percent (5%), which shall be released upon completion of all improvements and utility work. The City shall inspect each category of improvement or utility work within twenty (20) business days after a request for such inspection. Any such category of improvement or utility work shall be deemed to be completed upon certification by the City that the project is complete in accordance with the ordinance of the City, including the filing of all documentation and certifications required by the City, in complete and acceptable form. The release shall be deemed effective when the escrow funds or bond amount are duly posted with the United States Postal Service or other agreed-upon delivery service or when the escrow funds or bond amount are hand-delivered to an authorized person or place as specified by the owner or developer.

E. If the City has not released the escrow funds or bond amount within thirty (30) days as provided in this Section or provided a timely inspection of the improvements or utility work after request for such inspection, the City shall pay the owner or developer in addition to the escrow funds due the owner or developer, interest at the rate of one and one-half percent (1 1/2 %) per month calculated from the expiration of the thirty-day period until the escrow funds or bond amount have been released. Any owner or developer aggrieved by the City's failure to observe the requirements of this Section may bring a civil action to enforce the provisions of this Section. In any civil action or part of a civil action brought pursuant to this Section, the court may award the prevailing party or the City the amount of all costs attributable to the action, including reasonable attorneys' fees.

F. Nothing in this Section shall apply to performance, maintenance and payment bonds required by the City.

G. Before adoption of its subdivision regulations or any amendment thereof, a duly advertised public hearing thereon shall be held by the Board of Aldermen.

H. The provisions of Subsection (B) of this Section requiring the acceptance of an escrow secured by cash or an irrevocable letter of credit, rather than a surety bond, at the option of the developer, all of the provisions of Subsection (C) of this Section, and the provisions of Subsections (D) and (E) of this Section regarding an inspection of improvements or utility work within twenty (20) business days shall not apply to any home rule city with more than four hundred thousand (400,000) inhabitants and located in more than one county.

I. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 290.210, RSMo., to the contrary, improvements secured by escrow, letter of credit, or bond as provided in this Section shall not be subject to the terms of Sections 290.210 to 290.340 unless they are paid for wholly or in part out of public funds.