[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of
the City of Jefferson 8-6-2002 by Ord. No. 7-02 as §§ 9.34
and 9.35 of the 2002 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 8-6-2002 by Ord. No. 8-02; 1-4-2011 by Ord. No.
13-10]
There is hereby imposed a fee for law enforcement
or Fire Department response to any alarm resulting from any activation
of an alarm system, except when law enforcement or Fire Department
members find that an unauthorized person is on the premises or was
seen on the premises immediately before the alarm was activated, that
there is fresh evidence of forceful entry or attempted forceful entry,
when the alarm signal is cause by a tornado or other violent weather
conditions, or where a fire alarm is activated by fire or smoke. An
alarm user may incur two alarms in any calendar year from an alarm
system at no charge to the alarm user. In the event the law enforcement
officers or Fire Department members respond to more than two false
alarms in any calendar year, a fee shall be charged against the property
as follows:
A.
After two
false alarms, the property owner, within 10 days of the second false
alarm, shall submit a written report to the Fire Chief identifying
the cause of the false alarm and shall set forth corrective measures
taken by the owner that will prevent a reoccurrence.
B.
For the third false alarm, a citation shall be issued by the Jefferson Police Department with a forfeiture of $100, plus costs, plus another report as identified in Subsection A above.
C.
For the fourth false alarm, a citation shall be issued by the Jefferson Police Department with a forfeiture of $300, plus costs, plus another report referred to in Subsection A above.
D.
For the fifth and any additional false alarms, a citation shall be issued by the Jefferson Police Department with a forfeiture of $500, plus costs, plus another written report referred to in Subsection A above.
E.
If in one
calendar year the Fire Department responds to three or more false
alarms, the Fire Department may, in addition to the forfeiture listed
above, order as follows:
(1)
Introduce
forfeiture to the building owner or occupant to reimburse the Police
and Fire Departments for the costs of equipment or personnel that
was used to respond to the alarm.
(2)
Require
that the fire alarm be serviced, upgraded or replaced to bring the
alarm system into compliance with current code in order to prevent
future false alarms.
F.
If not
paid within 30 days of conviction in municipal court, the fee shall
be placed on the real estate tax bill of the property and charged
against the property in accordance with the provisions of § 66.0627,
Wis. Stats.
B.
In addition to the penalty provided in Subsection A above, any person who shall damage public property shall be liable for the costs of repairing or replacing such property. The parent of an unemancipated child who causes damage to public or private property shall be liable for the cost thereof pursuant to § 895.035, Wis. Stats.
