§ 21-82. Service charge for false alarm notifications.

(a)

If within any twelve-month permit period three (3) false burglary alarm notifications are emitted from an alarm site and responded to by the police department, the tax assessor/collector shall assess the permit holder in control of that alarm site a fee for each subsequent false burglary alarm notifications emitted from the site within the twelve-month permit period as follows:

• ;hg;Fourth and fifth call will be assessed at fifty dollars ($50.00) each.

• ;hg;Sixth and seventh call will be assessed at seventy-five dollars ($75.00) each.

• ;hg;Eight or more will be assessed at one hundred dollars ($100.00) each.

(b)

If within any twelve-month permit period one (1) false fire panic alarm notification is emitted from an alarm site and responded to by the fire department, the tax assessor/collector shall assess the permit holder in control of the alarm site a fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each subsequent false fire, panic alarm notification emitted from the site within the twelve-month permit period.

(c)

If within any twelve-month permit period one (1) false medical panic alert alarm or robbery panic alarm notification is emitted from an alarm site and responded to by the fire or police department, the tax assessor/collector shall assess the permit holder in control of that alarm site a fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each subsequent false medical or robbery panic alarm notification emitted from the site within the twelve (12) months.

(d)

In the event that more than one (1) city department responds to a false fire, medical, robbery or burglary notification, such event will count as one (1) false alarm for the purposes of determining the number of false alarm notifications attributed to a permit holder.

(e)

Notwithstanding other provisions in this article to the contrary, false alarms of an alarm system may be counted for as provided in this section to the extent the false alarms are attributable to a common cause. A series of false alarms shall be deemed as originating from a common cause and counted as one (1) false alarm if all of the following conditions are met:

(1)

The series of false alarms occurs within a seventy-two-hour period;

(2)

The alarm system has a valid permit at the time of the false alarms;

(3)

The cause of the series of false alarms is repaired before it generates additional false alarms;

(4)

Within fifteen (15) days after the end of the seventy-two-hour common cause period, an alarm company duly licensed under V.T.C.A., Occupations Code, Ch. 1702 provides the tax assessor collector with documentation verifying the technical difficulty or malfunction that caused the series of false alarms, and that necessary repairs have been completed.

(5)

During the thirty-day period following the repair, the alarm system generates no additional false alarms from the documented common cause; and

(6)

There are no unpaid fees or penalties under this article due and owing from the permit holder.

This section shall not apply to the same alarm site, alarm system, or permit holder more than once in any twenty-four-month period.

(f)

A permit holder shall pay a fee assessed under this section within thirty (30) days after receipt of notice that it has been assessed.

(g)

The permit holder will be exempt from any fee charged for a false alarm notification which is later shown to have been justified or which was due to a natural or manmade catastrophe.

(h)

An alarm subscriber who is notified of a violation and does not obtain required permit within thirty (30) days of notification, will be assessed the following fees for each alarm notification generated by a nonpermitted alarm system, regardless of whether the alarm is false. Subscribers previously notified will be assessed fees without additional notification.

Type of notification	Fee for each alarm notification
Burglar alarm	$100.00
Fire, medical, or robbery panic alarm	$200.00

 

(Ord. No. 2015-O-101 , § 1, 8-17-15)

Editor's note

Ord. No. 2015-O-101, § 1, adopted Aug. 17, 2015, amended § 21-82 in its entirety to read as set out herein. Former § 21-82 pertained to service charge and derived from Ord. No. 83-115, § 5, adopted Nov. 1, 1983; Ord. No. 98-045, adopted March 2, 1998; and Ord. No. 2001-O-050, § 1, adopted Feb. 26, 2001.