§ 86-21. Enforcement and penalties.

(a)

Any violations of articles IV through VI shall, prior to the initiation of a prosecution in municipal court, be reported and processed in the manner specified within this chapter. If this chapter has no enforcement provisions, or they are ruled unconstitutional, then any violators of articles IV through VI shall be punishable in the same manner as specified in the municipal criminal code, and more particularly by sections 54-1 through 54-26 and 54-61, but in no event shall the minimum penalty for any violation of articles IV through VI be less than that specified in section 54-26 of the municipal criminal code.

(b)

Unless it is expressly provided otherwise elsewhere in a particular section of this chapter, any person who does anything prohibited or fails to do anything required by this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment not to exceed six months, or to a fine not to exceed $500.00, or to both such imprisonment and such fine.

(c)

Unless required to do so by applicable law or by the court, the city attorney shall not prosecute an offense under this section during the pendency under this chapter of civil proceedings concerning the same complainant and respondent and the same grievance before the human relations commission.

(M.C.S., Ord. No. 19,278, § 1, 6-17-99)