Sec. 10-84. Registration application.
(a) Any business entity seeking to be registered to conduct business in the Town as a contractor or specialty contractor shall file a written application on a form to be provided by the Town which shall contain such information as the Town deems necessary to determine the qualifications and competency of the applicant.
(b) The application shall be filed on behalf of the business entity and shall also contain the name of the individual who will manage said business.
(c) Upon the filing of an application, the Town may investigate the statements contained therein and, if any statements are found to be untrue, may refuse to register the applicant.
(d) Before a certificate of registration is issued by the Town to any applicant, the Town shall require the applicant to provide proof of the filing of the bond in the amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) with the Lake County Recorder as well as submitting a certificate of insurance of at least five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00) of general liability and bodily injury insurance, naming the Town of St. John an additional insured.
(e) Whenever any certificate of registration issued under the provisions of this article, as amended from time to time, is revoked by the Town, the Town shall be entitled to institute proceedings to forfeit the bond or recover from the bond posted with Lake County.
(f) In the event a contractor or specialty contractor who is issued a certificate of registration by the Town allows the registration to expire, that business entity shall be required by the Town to reapply for a new certificate of registration.
(g) Upon receipt of an application for renewal by an applicant who, during the preceding period of registration, has violated any of the provisions of this article, as amended from time to time, or any rules and regulations promulgated therein, the Town shall make such investigation as it deems necessary to determine the fitness of the applicant for renewal of the certificate of registration. In the event the Town determines after said investigation that issues exist as to whether the application for renewal under consideration should be renewed, it shall advise the applicant and that applicant shall thereafter within thirty (30) days show cause to the Town why the certificate of registration should be renewed. If, after hearing, the Town determines that the certificate of registration should not be renewed, the applicant shall be notified, and the applicant thereafter may seek remedies under the laws of the State of Indiana.
(h) No certificate of registration shall be renewed during any period a registrant is under citation by the Town for violation of any of the provisions of this article, as amended from time to time, or any rules promulgated by the Town; however, the Town, at its discretion, may temporarily extend the applicant's current registration for a period of thirty (30) days, or until the act complained of shall be heard by the Town, and during any period of appeal provided for by this article, as amended from time to time.
(i) The fees to be charged by and paid to the Town by registrants for all certificates of registration, and renewals thereof, shall be as follows:
(1) A fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) shall accompany an application for a certificate of registration.
(2) An additional fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) shall be required for the initial issuance of the certificate of registration, upon approval of the application.
(3) A fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) shall be paid to the Town for every annual renewal of the certificate of registration.
(4) If the contractor fails to renew by December 31st of the given year, they will thereafter be treated as a new contractor and will be subject to paying seventy-five dollars ($75.00) as detailed in subsections (i)(1) and (i)(2) above.
(j) All fees assessed by the Town and collected shall be paid into the treasury of the Town of St. John, Indiana, and shall be credited to the Town general fund.
(k) All construction work in progress on the effective date of passage of the ordinance codified in this article shall be allowed to be completed without the issuance of a certificate of registration.
(o) In the event a certificate holder shall have been convicted in this State, or any other state, of obtaining money under false pretenses, extortion, forgery, embezzlement, or criminal conspiracy to defraud, or other like offenses and a duly certified or exemplified copy of the record in the proceeding is filed with the Town, the Town shall revoke the certificate of registration issued to the registrant holder. In the event of the revocation or suspension of the certificate of registration issued to any member of a co-partnership, association, or corporation or an employee thereof, the certificate issued to the other co-partner, member, or members of the firm, association, or corporation shall be revoked unless, within the time fixed by the Town, where as co-partnership or association, the connection of the member or employee whose license has been suspended (or revoked) shall be severed and his or her employment thereby, in the case of an employee, be terminated, and his or her share in its activities brought to an end, or where a corporation, the offending officer or employee shall be discharged and shall have no further participation in the corporate activities.