(A) Fees imposed. An alarm fee shall be imposed for reports of false alarms per calendar quarter in the amount imposed by City Council. Guidelines for notification of false alarms are described as follows:
(1) First false alarm within a calendar quarter shall require no action by the city to the property owner;
(2) Second false alarm within a calendar quarter shall require a written notification through regular mail notifying the property owner of the action that will be taken after the third false alarm.
(3) Third false alarm with a calendar quarter shall require a written notification through certified letter to be sent warning the property owner of the third alarm within the period and the action that will be taken for the next and subsequent alarms with the same 90 day period.
(4) There shall be penalties imposed for the fourth and subsequent false alarm within the 90 day period as described:
(a) First violation (4th alarm): $100
(b) Second violation (5th alarm): $200
(c) Third violation (6th and beyond): $300 per each
(B) Exceptions to fees imposed. There shall be no fee imposed for certain alarm activations. Examples of these events are, but not limited to:
(1) Acts of nature such as storms, high winds, lightning, loss of electrical power, and temporary loss of telephone service;
(2) Alarms that are activated for testing the alarm system with prior notification to the communication center of the Police Department.
(3) Alarms that are activated as medical life lines when the user relies on such systems for reporting a life threatening emergency;
(4) All alarms that are determined by the officers or firemen on scene who deem the alarm activation as necessary. The officer or firemen must give explanation on the report filed.
(C) Failure to respond. After an alarm activation, and when the Police and/or Fire Department are at the location for a period of 20 minutes and no such response was made shall be considered as failure to respond and the following penalties shall apply:
(1) First violation: $100
(2) Second violation: $200
(3) Third violation: $300 per each
(Ord. 2002-10, passed 6-24-02)