posted on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 2:28 PM
by
administrator
Avon, OH, Eliminates Alarm Registration Fee; Allows Two False Alarms
False alarms from homes are not going to cost as much as they used to in Avon, OH, as City Council passed an ordinance eliminating the $50 sign-up fee and giving homeowners two free passes.
The city had the sign-up fee in effect since 1996, but started strictly enforcing it after there were too many false alarms that kept safety forces busy, according to Mayor Jim Smith.
"You could have seven false alarms at your business and they still treat each one as if it were real," Smith said. "When that happens, it takes officers off the street."
He said the city began charging a $50 fee when residents installed a house alarm, and an additional $50 fee every time someone had a false alarm. In 2007, Smith says there were more than 860 false alarms responded to. After the fee was instituted, that number dropped by more than half, he said.
Smith said a very common reason for repeated false alarms were that a system needed repair, and the fee gave people an incentive to have it fixed.
After the ordinance takes effect, homeowners will not be charged until the third false alarm. That will cost $50 for each, until the 10th one, which will then be $100. Businesses won't be charged until the third false alarm, but must pay the $50 sign-up fee.