CITY OF
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
TO: Mayor and City Commission
FROM: Richard D. Sala, City Manager
BY: Tammy L. Reed-Holguin,
Community Development Director
Chief Lou Cavallo
DATE: November 29, 2007
SUBJECT: First Reading: Ordinance Amending Article
VI - Alarm Systems
As you may recall, the City Commission approved
Ordinance No. 02-01-1045 in January 2002, which requires the registration of
burglar alarm systems and provides the ability to assess a fine for false
alarms. The goal of the ordinance is to encourage owners to register their
alarm systems. The initial registration
fee for a burglar alarm system is $25. In
April 2004, the City Commission amended the Ordinance to further encourage
owners to register their alarms by eliminating the renewal charge if there were
three or fewer false alarms responded to during the previous year.
Since the implementation of the registration of
alarm systems and enforcement of penalties for false alarms began in April
2002, there have been 1,870 alarm systems registered within the City of
However, there remain a significant number of
alarm systems that are not registered with the City and generate false alarm
calls. Since November 2006 through
August 2007 (a 10-month period), the Community Development Department has
tracked 338 responses to false alarms where the alarm system is not
registered. Currently the process is to
issue a Courtesy Warning Notice through the Code Enforcement Division advising
the owner to register the system with the City.
If they have not complied within the time allotted, they may be brought
before the Special Master where usually additional time is granted and a daily fine
may be assessed for non-compliance. It
is a lengthy process and the City continues to incur costs while there is the
likelihood that additional false alarms will be generated and additional
response costs will be incurred while the system is unregistered.
To offset these costs due to unregistered alarms
and to further encourage registration, it is recommended that a penalty of
$50.00 be immediately assessed at the time a false alarm is responded to a
property where the alarm is found not to be registered. Based on the numbers identified to date,
there was historically a potential revenue source of approximately $16,000 for the
338 systems that were not registered during that 10-month period cited above. Although it is hoped that the number of
unregistered alarm systems will decrease as we achieve compliance, in the
interim the amendment will enable the City to recover some of the costs
incurred when responding to unregistered false alarms.
Tonight, we are presenting the attached ordinance
with the proposed revision pertaining to a penalty of $50.00 for any false
alarm calls for unregistered alarms for your consideration on first reading.
Recommendation:
The City Administration
recommends Commission’s consideration and approval of the first reading of the attached ordinance amending Article
VI., entitled “Alarm Systems” to create Section 82-309 entitled “Penalty for
Response to Unregistered False Alarms”
to provide penalties to the owners of unregistered alarm systems when a
false alarm is responded to.
ORDINANCE
NO. 07-_____
AN
ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF NORTH LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, CREATING SECTION 82-309,
ENTITLED "PENALTY FOR RESPONSE TO UNREGISTERED FALSE ALARMS" OF THE
CODE OF ORDINANCES TO PROVIDE penalties to the owners of unregistered alarm
systems when a false alarm is responded to; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS; PROVIDING
FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE CODE; PROVIDING FOR AN
EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, City of North Lauderdale Ordinance No. 02-01-1045
requires the registration of burglar and security alarms, provides for annual
registration and renewal fees, and establishes a fine schedule for excessive
false alarms; and
WHEREAS, the alarm registration ordinance assists the City by
reducing the growing number of "false alarm" calls, which have a
potentially adverse impact on the City's law enforcement resources and
response; and
WHEREAS, there are approximately 1,870 alarm systems registered
in the City of North Lauderdale, and since the implementation of this
ordinance, it has been reported that the number of false alarms has been
reduced, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of the alarm registration and
false alarm fee program; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the City's
alarm registration ordinance is to encourage alarm users to install and
maintain their alarm systems in a responsible manner, thereby reducing
"false alarm" responses; and
WHEREAS, it has been determined that there
remains a significant number of unregistered alarm systems and costs continue
to be incurred to respond to false alarms generated by unregistered systems and
to encourage registration; and
WHEREAS, it is recommended that a
penalty of $50.00 be immediately assessed upon owners of unregistered systems
when a false alarm is generated.; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission of the
City of
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY
THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
Section 1. The
foregoing "WHEREAS" clauses are hereby ratified and confirmed as
being true and correct and are hereby made a specific part of this Ordinance
upon adoption hereof.
Section 2. Section
82-309, entitled "Penalty for Response to Unregistered False Alarms"
of the City of
Sec. 82-308.
Penalty for unregistered false alarms.
In
the event that the City’s Public Safety Department responds to an alarm and
determines that the alarm is not registered with the City, there will be a
$50.00 fine issued immediately and the property owner must register the alarm
with the City.
Section 4. Codification. It
is the intention of the City Commission of the City of North Lauderdale that
the provisions of this Ordinance shall become and be made a part of the Code of
Ordinances of the City of North Lauderdale, Florida and that the Sections of
this Ordinance may be renumbered, re-lettered and the work
"Ordinance" may be changed to "Section",
"Article" or such other word or phrase in order to accomplish such
intention.
Section
5. Severability. If
any clause, section or other part of this Ordinance shall be held by any court
of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or invalid, such
unconstitutional or invalid part shall be considered as eliminated and in no
way affecting the validity of the other provisions of this Ordinance.
Section
6. Conflicts. All
Ordinances or parts of Ordinances, Resolutions or parts of Resolutions in
conflict herewith, be and the same are hereby repealed to the extent of such
conflict.
Section 7. Effective Date. This
Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon its adoption.
PASSED
AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
PASSED
AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________
SAMUEL S. GOREN
CITY ATTORNEY ____________________________________
MAYOR
JACK BRADY
ATTEST:
____________________________________
VICE
MAYOR RICH MOYLE
__________________________________________
PATRICIA VANCHERI, ACTING CITY CLERK
Rev.
11-17-07