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Home My WebLink AboutCOW 2020-09-28 Item 4C - Ordinance / Resolution - False Alarm Fee ScheduleITEM INFORMATION STAFF SPONSOR: VICKY CARLSEN ORIGINAL AGENDA DATE: 09/28/20 AGENDA ITEM TITLE Update false alarm fee CATEGORY Discussion Motion Resolution Ordinance Bid Award Public Hearing Other Mtg Date 09/28/20 Mtg Date Mtg Date 10/5/20 Mtg Date 10/5/20 Mtg Date Mtg Date Mtg Date SPONSOR Council Mayor HR DCD Finance Fire TS P&R Police PW Court SPONSOR’S SUMMARY Resolution & Ordinance increasing fee for false alarms REVIEWED BY Trans&Infrastructure CommunitySvs/Safety Finance Comm. Planning/Economic Dev. Arts Comm. Parks Comm. Planning Comm. LTAC DATE: 08/24/20 & 9/28/20 COMMITTEE CHAIR: SEAL RECOMMENDATIONS: SPONSOR/ADMIN. COMMITTEE COST IMPACT / FUND SOURCE EXPENDITURE REQUIRED AMOUNT BUDGETED APPROPRIATION REQUIRED $ $ $ Fund Source: Comments: RECORD OF COUNCIL ACTION MTG. DATE 09/28/20 MTG. DATE ATTACHMENTS 09/28/20 Informational Memorandum dated 08/17/20 (updated 09/22/20) Draft Resolution Draft Ordinance Minutes from the 8/24 Finance Committee Meeting COUNCIL AGENDA SYNOPSIS ----------------------------------Initials --------------------------------- ITEM NO. Meeting Date Prepared by Mayor’s review Council review 09/28/20 Vicky Vicky 10/05/20 4.C. 37 38 City of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM TO: Finance Committee FROM: Vicky Carlsen, Finance Director CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: August 17, 2020 SUBJECT: Update Police and Fire false alarm fees Updated September 22, 2020 ISSUE Update fee schedule for false alarms BACKGROUND Fees for false alarms were last adjusted in 2014. As City resources are expended to respond to, and bill for false alarms, a restructure and an increase in false alarm fees is being proposed to deter the occurrence of false alarms and to help recoup City costs. Responding to an Alarm When an alarm monitoring company receives an alert that an alarm has been triggered, they call 911 to report the alarm. Valley Com procedures stipulates that the alarm company calls two phone numbers before calling 911 to dispatch. This is their verification process and is an attempt to reduce the number of false alarm. If there is no response from either phone call, or if someone does answer and requests help, then officers are dispatched. The standard response for police is a minimum of two officers. When they arrive at the scene, they will walk the perimeter and check doors and windows for any signs of a break-in. If nothing suspicious is located and there are no signs of a break-in, they mark the incident report as a false alarm. The average length of a response to a police false alarm is 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the business or residence. Fire personnel are dispatched to an alarm in a similar manner. The average length of a response to a fire false alarm is 30-45 minutes, depending on the type of the business or residence. Most often more time is needed to re-set the alarm panel for a fire alarm as compared to the police response. Costs to the City for responding to a false alarm include apparatus usage and personnel time spent responding to the alarm, as well as administrative time to bill and collect payment for the false alarm. Current False Alarm Fees The current structure for false alarm fees is as follows: First two alarms: Free Third alarm: $150 Fourth and subsequent: $200 39 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 2 The schedule resets each year which means every alarm owner is not charged for the first two false alarm responses each year. The current fee structure requires significant staff time each month to review all false alarms to determine if it is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. alarm of the year. DISCUSSION False Alarm Statistics for the City The table below represents the number of false alarms for both police and fire for the last three complete calendar years. A large percentage of false alarms are not billable because they are either the first or second false alarm in a calendar year. False alarm data from 2010-2012 has been included to demonstrate that the substantial fee increase in 2014 did not reduce the number of false alarms. Year Police # of False Alarms Fire # of False Alarms 2019 1,030 611 2018 1,089 606 2017 1,037 713 2012 872 552 2011 810 632 2010 837 666 As a side note for fire false alarms, the total number of false alarms listed above includes false alarms outside of the City of Tukwila and are not billable. The average number of false alarms per year that would qualify as billable averages between 425 and 475. Comparison of Surrounding Jurisdiction False Alarm Fees The table below lists several surrounding jurisdictions and the fees they charge for false alarms. The table does not include information on alarm registration fees, alarm renewal fees, or other action that may be taken by the jurisdiction responding to a false alarm. Additionally, many of the cities that charge for false alarms have outsourced the billing function. Outsourcing the billing function would result in either additional fees to the alarm owner or reduced cost recovery to the City. Source: City Codes, websites City Alarm Type 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th+ Auburn Burglary 100$ 100$ 100$ 100$ 100$ 100$ Federal Way Burglary -$ -$ 50$ 100$ 150$ 200$ Seattle Burglary 115$ 115$ 115$ 115$ 115$ 115$ Burien General 150$ 150$ 150$ 150$ 150$ 150$ Des Moines General -$ -$ 100$ 200$ 200$ 200$ Kent General -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ Renton General -$ 100$ 250$ 250$ 250$ 250$ SeaTac General -$ 100$ 100$ 100$ 100$ 100$ Tukwila (Current Fee) General -$ -$ 150$ 200$ 200$ 200$ False Alarm Fees 40 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 3 Staff is recommending the following fee structure. The intent of the new fee structure is twofold. The new fee structure will streamline the review and billing process. A reduction in time spent reviewing and billing false alarms could be redirected to other responsibilities. An updated fee schedule could encourage alarm owners to take steps to reduce the number of false alarms. Decreasing the number of false alarm responses for both Police and Fire personnel will redirect time to responding to actual alarms. The proposed and current fee schedule for false alarms follows: False Alarm Proposed Fee Current Fee First (lifetime for alarm owner)$0 $0 Second $250 $0 Third $250 $150 Fourth and Subsequent $250 $200 The recommended fee structure will keep the rates comparable with surrounding jurisdictions. Fees incurred in the new schedule will help to offset costs of responding to recurring false alarms. New Information as of September 22, 2020 At the August 24, 2020 Finance Committee meeting, two questions were asked and responses are provided below. 1.How many free false alarms do other cities allow and does the free alarm(s) reset each year? The following chart outlines each city’s policy for free false alarms. As mentioned earlier in this memo, the proposed fee structure changes the current policy of 2 free false alarm every year to 1 per alarm owner (lifetime, no annual reset). City # of Free False Alarms Reset Period Auburn None Not applicable Burien None Billing function is outsourced Des Moines 2 Every year Federal Way 2 Every year Kent Unsure. Research indicates that police respond to false alarms as a low priority and may not respond at all. Renton 1 Every year SeaTac 1 Every 6 months 2. What efficiencies are expected to be gained by restructuring the fee schedule? Per Police staff that currently process the false alarms, the billing process has already been streamlined to a degree but still can average 16-20 hours a month to process the false alarm billings. The amount of time varies, depending on how many businesses/residential properties require research to determine mailing address and to determine if the business is still active or not. Staff sends out notices for all false alarms, including the first 2 that are free. Alarm owners tend to call when they receive the 3rd invoice that includes a charge and it takes time to research and respond to the alarm owner’s concerns. By eliminating the free false alarms every year and increasing the fee to $250 for each alarm after the first free false alarm, staff is hoping that this will encourage alarm owners to 41 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 4 address the reasons for the false alarms occurring, thereby reducing the total number of false alarms. In order to give alarm owners the ability to formally appeal the false alarm charge, staff is recommending the following process be established. The proposed False Alarm Appeals Program will borrow heavily from programs already in place by other Valley Cities. The person/organization against whom the false alarm fee is levied shall, within thirty days of receiving notification that a false alarm fee has been levied, submit an appeals request either online (via a site dedicated to that purpose but not yet built) or via an email sent to an email address that will be monitored by representatives of the Tukwila Police and Fire Departments. If the appeal is submitted via the webpage, all required fields must be completed. If submitted via email, the notice of appeals must contain the following information: 1. Name of person submitting the appeals 2. Email address of above listed person (if applicable) 3. Physical address where alarm occurred 4. Date of false alarm 5. Permit number of alarm, if applicable 6. Name of alarm monitoring company, if applicable 7. Reason(s) for the appeal 8. Any supporting evidence For an appeal to be reviewed, the person/organization submitting the appeal must remit an appeal fee of $25 that will be refunded if the appeal is upheld. If the appeal is not upheld, the Tukwila Police or Fire Department will deposit the fee into a revenue account and the fee will help to offset the cost of reviewing the appeal. Upon receiving the appeal notice, complete with the information listed above and the appeals fee, a designated representative of either the Police or Fire Department shall review the appeal and submit a decision within thirty days. A non-comprehensive list of actions that typically will result in a false alarm appeal being denied will be listed on the City of Tukwila’s Alarm Information webpage and will include items such as the following: 1. Faulty, defective, or malfunctioning equipment supplied by an alarm business. 2. Improper installation or maintenance by an alarm business. 3. Improper monitoring by an alarm business. 4. Alarm activations that occur while alarm technicians are repairing or servicing the alarm system. 5. An occurrence where no evidence of criminal activity, fire, or medical need is present. 6. Mistakes made by private contractors, maids, cleaning crews, visitors, etc. 7. Item(s) within the home or business that move causing motion detectors to activate (i.e. curtains, signs, balloons, etc.). 8. Doors and/or windows that become loose and cause a break in the contacts that activate the alarm system. 9. Caretakers who watch homes or businesses when owners are away and who activate the alarm in error or are not familiar with required codes or passwords. 10. Pets, rodents or wildlife movement in or near the home or business. 42 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 5 11. Alarms caused by Apartment Management Employees. RECOMMENDATION The Council is being asked to approve the resolution and consider this item at the September 14, 2020 Committee of the Whole meeting and subsequent September 14, 2020 Regular Meeting. The Council is being asked to approve the resolution and ordinance and consider this item at the September 28, 2020 Committee of the Whole meeting and subsequent October 5, 2020 Regular Meeting. 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BUSINESS AGENDA A. Resolution: Fingerprint Fees Staff is seeking Council approval of a resolution that would update the fingerprint fee for non- residents from $10 to $15. Committee Recommendation Unanimous approval. Forward to September 14, 2020 Committee of the Whole and Special Consent Agenda. B. Ordinance & Resolution: False Alarm Fees Staff is seeking Council approval of legislation that would update the fee schedule and streamline the review and billing for police and fire false alarms. Item(s) requiring follow-up Determine if other jurisdictions reset their fees annually. Committee Recommendation Return to Committee. C. Resolution: Police Department Change Fund Staff is seeking Council approval of a resolution that would add a $500 change fund to the Police Department for the processing of cash transactions related to fingerprints, concealed weapon licenses, and records. Committee Recommendation Unanimous approval. Forward to September 14, 2020 Committee of the Whole and Special Consent Agenda. 49