posted on Thursday, February 21, 2008 10:50 AM
by
klehan
Huntington, West Virginia, Council to Enforce False Alarm Fines
In 2005, the Huntington, West Virginia council unanimously voted to strengthen its false alarm ordinance that has been part of city code since 1979.
While officials were more lenient in 2006, the city was more consistent in its recent enforcement of the ordinance that fines business owners and residents for excessive false alarm calls, Finance and Administration Director Brandi Jones said on February 11, 2008.
Jones gave a brief report on the ordinance during Monday night's City Council meeting. The city has received several calls lately from businesses complaining about getting bills for false alarm calls, she said. Some council members said they also have received complaints.
The city billed about $7,000 in false alarm calls between July 1 and Dec. 1 of last year, Jones said. Businesses and residents have to pay a fine only if the police or fire department answers more than one false alarm call in a 30-day period.
"The ordinance is pretty liberal in its current form, because you're getting one free false alarm every 30 days," Mayor David Felinton said. "We're certainly not doing this to generate revenue."
The city has purchased software that will automate all false alarm calls, which means the billing system will be more uniform in its enforcement, Jones said.
The intent of the ordinance is to encourage businesses and residents to rectify problems with their alarm companies, Jones said.