(1) The Director is authorized to establish a cooperative abatement program to encourage and assist in the voluntary removal of junk vehicles from private property. A cooperative abatement program may provide:

(2) A cooperative abatement agreement may be entered into at any time before an appeal brought by a landowner relating to this chapter is decided unless otherwise limited by the Director pursuant to subsection (7) of this section.

(3) To qualify for assistance, a landowner must enter into a written cooperative abatement agreement with the Director. A cooperative abatement agreement shall contain an acknowledgement by the landowner that there exists on his or her property a junk vehicle public nuisance and that his or her failure to perform under the agreement may be construed as his or her acquiescence to its presence.

(4) The cooperative abatement agreement shall contain the landowner’s name, the address of the property, a description of the junk vehicles to be removed from the property, permission to enter and inspect the property, the action to be taken, the date when it must be completed, and such other conditions as the Director deems necessary and appropriate under the circumstances to effect complete abatement of the nuisance.

(5) In the event that a landowner is not the last registered owner of a junk vehicle, the Director or law enforcement officer may identify the last registered owner of the junk vehicle and provide notice to him or her on behalf of the landowner that the vehicle must be removed and disposed in a manner that complies with all applicable laws.

(6) Should the last registered owner fail to remove the vehicle(s) as directed, Clallam County may contract with registered tow truck operators to remove the vehicle(s) from the landowner’s property.

(7) In furtherance of the goals of this chapter, the Director shall have discretion to establish additional requirements and procedures deemed necessary and consistent with this chapter to limit:

The Director may deny a landowner’s participation if they are in violation of or have a pattern of past violations of other Clallam County, State, or federal laws.

(8) If the extent of the nuisance exceeds any limits placed on financial assistance, the landowner shall be responsible for lawful removal and disposal of any additional vehicles, fully bearing the cost thereof, concurrent with the removal of those vehicles for which assistance is being received.

(9) If the landowner who is party to a cooperative abatement agreement fails to comply with the terms and conditions thereof by the date set forth in the cooperative abatement agreement, the junk vehicle public nuisance may be abated pursuant to any other lawful remedy provided for in this chapter or elsewhere.

(10) This section shall not be construed to impose a duty upon the County or the Director to enter into a cooperative abatement agreement with any landowner.

(11) A landowner’s submission of a request to be considered for assistance under a cooperative abatement agreement does not in any way toll or otherwise affect any deadlines, periods of appeal, accrual of daily penalties, and the like.

(12) The Director shall maintain sufficient records to monitor and enforce this section and any eligibility requirements or restrictions implemented by the Director.

(13) The Director may record a copy of the executed cooperative abatement agreement with the Clallam County Auditor’s Office. In that case, the Director shall record a certificate of correction with the Clallam County Auditor’s Office when all violations specified in the cooperative abatement agreement have been corrected as required by the cooperative abatement agreement. The certificate shall include a legal description of the property where the violation occurred and shall state if any unpaid penalties and costs for which liens have been recorded are still outstanding and continue as liens on the property.

(14) The Director may grant in writing an extension of the time limit if the landowner has made a request therefor in writing and shown due diligence or substantial progress in abating the nuisance, but circumstances render timely completion unattainable.

(15) A cooperative abatement agreement is not a settlement agreement.