§ 14-20. False alarm fee.

(a)

The alarm user shall be required to pay to the city the sum as currently established or as hereafter adopted by ordinance from time to time in any given calendar quarter. No alarm user shall be required to pay said fee on the first occasion of a false alarm during any one calendar quarter, but shall be advised, in writing, of said false alarm and of the existence of this article.

(b)

Alarm conditions caused by the following extenuating circumstances shall not constitute a false alarm and no false alarm fee shall be charged by the city:

(1)

Alarm system malfunctions, if corrective measures have been instituted with 96 hours of notification by the police department; provided that the alarm user presents documentation of repair service having been performed by the alarm company to remedy a malfunction.

(2)

Storm conditions.

(3)

Alarm conditions being activated by persons working on the alarm system with prior notification to the police department.

(4)

Alarms activated by disruption or disturbance of telephone or other communication systems.

(5)

In subsection (b)(1), (2) and (4) of this section, it shall be the responsibility of the alarm user to notify the police department by filling out the alarm notification form and returning it to the police department within ten days of receipt of the alarm notification form. Failure to notify the police department will result in an automatic billing to the user.

(c)

Upon the response of a police officer to an alarm call, a representative of the police department shall mail an alarm notification form to the alarm user.

(d)

Within ten days of the date of receipt of the alarm notification form, the alarm user shall return the completed form to the police department. Failure by the alarm user to return the form shall cause an automatic billing of the false alarm fee to be sent to the alarm user.

(e)

If, upon receiving a false alarm fee notice, the alarm user wishes to request a waiver of the assessment of the fee due to extenuating circumstances, he may do so in writing within ten days of the assessment date. The notice to the police department shall contain documentation of the extenuating circumstances involved. Within ten days of the receipt of the waiver request by the police department, the police chief or his designee shall make a determination on the waiver request and shall notify the alarm user of the decision.

(Prior Code, § 9.295; Ord. No. 86-04, 6-2-1986)