[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Council of the Village of Bellevue
4-6-1981 by Ord. No. 75; amended in its entirety at time of adoption of Code
(see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I). Subsequent amendments noted where
applicable.]
This chapter is adopted for the purpose of providing financial assistance
to the Village in the operation of a Fire Department from those receiving
direct benefits from the fire protection service. It is further the purpose
of this chapter to provide for full funding of the Fire Department operation
which remains, in part, an at-large governmental expense based upon the general
benefits derived by all property owners within the Village from the existence
of a Fire Department and its availability to extinguish fires within the Village
and perform other emergency services.
A charge as set by the Bellevue Fire Control Board shall
hereafter be due and payable to the Village from a recipient of any service
by the Bellevue Fire Control Department.
All charges shall be due and payable within 90 days from the date the
service is rendered and in default of payment shall be collectable through
proceedings in District Court, or in any other Court of competent jurisdiction,
as a matured debt.
The following properties and services shall be exempt from the foregoing
charges:
The foregoing rates and charges shall not be exclusive of the charges
that may be made by the Village for the costs and expenses of maintaining
a Fire Department, but shall only be supplemental thereto. Charges may additionally
be collected by the Village through general taxation after a vote of the electorate
approving the same or by special assessment established under the Michigan
statutes pertinent thereto. General fund appropriations may also be made to
cover such additional cost and expenses.
Where a particular service rendered by the Fire Department directly
benefits more than one person or property, the owner of each property so benefited
and each person so benefited where property protection is not involved shall
be liable for the payment of the full charge for such service hereinbefore
outlined. The interpretation and application of this section is hereby delegated
to the Fire Chief subject only to appeal, within the time limits for payment,
to the Village Board; all billings and collections shall be delegated to the
Village Clerk and shall be administered so that charges shall only be collected
from the recipients of the service.
