3-5-1: BURGLAR AND SAFETY ALARM FEES:
   A.   Scope And Purpose: This section regulates the use of burglar and safety alarms, establishes user fees and establishes a system of administration. The purpose of this section is to protect the public safety services of the city from misuse of public safety alarms and to provide the maximum possible service to public safety alarm users.
   B.   Definitions: For purposes of this section, the terms defined in this subsection have the meanings given to them:
    ALARM SYSTEM: An alarm installation designed to be used for the prevention or detection of burglary, robbery, heat, smoke and fire on the premises which contain an alarm installation. Automobile alarm devices are not an "alarm system".
   ALARM USER: A person in control of any building, structure or facility wherein an alarm system is maintained.
   FALSE ALARM: An alarm signal eliciting a response by fire personnel when a situation requiring a response does not, in fact, exist and which is caused by the activation of the alarm system through mechanical failure, alarm malfunction, improper installation or the inadvertence of the owner or lessee of an alarm system. (Ord. 1997-13, 9-22-1997)
   C.   User Fees Imposed: A public safety alarm system that reports more than three (3) false alarms to the city in a twelve (12) month period will cause the alarm user to be charged a user fee. Fees are established in section 3-1-3 of this title. (Ord. 2017-01, 1-3-2017)
   D.   Appeals: An alarm user that is required by the city to pay a user fee as the result of a false alarm may make a written appeal of the false alarm charge to the fire chief within ten (10) days of notice by the city of the false alarm charge. Following review and determination by the fire chief, the decision may be appealed to the city council, who will make a final determination as to whether the user is to be charged with a false alarm. (Ord. 1997-13, 9-22-1997)
   E.   Payment Of Fees; Delinquencies:
      1.   User fees shall be paid to the city administrator within thirty (30) days from the date of notice by the city to the alarm user. Failure to pay the fee will cause the alarm user to be considered delinquent and subject to a penalty of an additional one and one-half percent (11/2%) of the unpaid fee for each additional thirty (30) day period that the fee remains unpaid.
      2.   The city administrator shall prepare an assessment roll of the delinquent amounts against the respective properties served and deliver the assessment roll to the city council for adoption on or before November 15 of each year. The assessment roll shall be filed with the Wright County auditor by the city administrator, and the county auditor shall thereupon enter such amount as part of the tax levy on said premises to be collected during the ensuing year. (Ord. 1997-13, 9-22-1997; amd. 2005 Code)
   F.   Disposition Of Revenues: User fees collected from false alarms shall be credited to the Albertville fire department's youth education programs.
   G.   Alarm Report: If an alarm user has incurred five (5) false alarms within one calendar year, the alarm user shall submit a written report to the fire chief within ten (10) days after being notified of the fifth false alarm, describing actions taken or to be taken to discover and eliminate the cause of the false alarms. Failure to submit the written report is a violation of this section.
   H.   Administrative Rules:
      1.   The alarm user is required to post below the alarm system control the telephone number(s) of personnel to be contacted when, or if, the fire personnel cannot reset the alarm and it must be silenced.
      2.   The Fire Chief shall prepare other rules as may be necessary for implementation of this section and present the proposed rules to the City Council for consideration as an amendment to this section.
   I.   Confidentiality:
      1.   Information submitted in compliance with this section will be held in confidence and exempt from discovery to the extent permitted by law.
      2.   Subject to requirements of confidentiality, the Fire Chief may develop and maintain statistics for the purpose of ongoing alarm systems evaluation. (Ord. 1997-13, 9-22-1997)