CITY OF GRANT

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MINNESOTA

 

ORDINANCE 1997-79

 

AN ORDINANCE FOR THE CITY OF GRANT, WASHINGTON COUNTY,

MINNESOTA, ESTABLISHING CHAPTER 79 OF THE CITY CODE

AND AUTHORIZING FEES FOR CERTAIN FALSE ALARM RESPONSES

MADE BY THE CITY'S PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL

 

The City Council of the City of Grant, Washington County, Minnesota, does hereby ordain as follows:

79.01 Definitions.

The following words, terms, and phrases, when used in this Section, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning.

(a) Alarm System means an assembly of equipment and devices (or a single device such as a solid state unit which plugs directly into a one-hundred-ten volt AC line) arranged to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention and to which public safety personnel are expected to respond.

(b) Audible Alarm means a device designed for the detection of unauthorized entry on premises, and which, when actuated, generates an audible sound on or near the premises.

(c) Criminal Activity means entrance upon or into the property of another, taking the property of another, or damaging the property of another without permission. Criminal activity includes burglary, robbery, assault, theft, damage to property, or other crimes as defined by State law.

(d) False Alarm means any alarm system triggered by some reason other than the activity the alarm is designed to detect. It does not include activation of the alarm by acts of God or by utility company power outages.

(e) Public Safety Personnel means any law enforcement officer, fire department member, emergency medical response personnel, or other individuals responding in the aid of public safety or rescue.

79.02 Response to False Alarms.

(a) A fee, as established by Council Resolution, shall be paid to the City for the fourth response and each subsequent

 

response by the City's public safety personnel within one (1) calendar year to a false alarm.

(b) The City may collect such fee by whatever means necessary, including the institution of a civil action against the person responsible for the payment of such fee or certifying the fee on the property tax.

79.03 False Alarm Reports.

(a) The Chief of Police, the Sheriff, the Fire Chief and/or Fire Marshall may require the person in control of the alarm system to submit a written report after any false alarm. The report shall contain information specified by the Chief making the request.

(b) The Chief of Police, the Sheriff, the Fire Chief and/or Fire Marshall may excuse false alarms associated with their respective departments when there is evidence that they are the result of an effort or order to upgrade, install, or maintain an alarm system if one (1) or more false alarms result from the same malfunction within a seven (7) day period.

79.04 Audible Alarm Requirements.

(a) All audible alarms shall meet the requirements of this Section.

(b) Every person maintaining an audible alarm shall post a notice containing the name and telephone number of the persons to be notified to render repairs or service during any hour of the day or night that the alarm sounds. Such notice shall be posted at the main entry to such premises or near the alarm in such a position as to be legible from the ground level adjacent to the building or kept currently corrected on file with the Police Department, the Sheriff's Office, and/or the Fire Marshall’s office.

(c) Audible alarms that sound like police and fire sirens are forbidden.

(d) Audible alarms shall have an automatic shut-off which will silence the audible alarm within a period not to exceed twenty (20) minutes and such alarms shall not sound for more than twenty (20) minutes during any hour.

79.05 Dishonored Checks.

In addition to the requirements of Minnesota Statutes Section 609.535 pertaining to the issuance of dishonored checks, whenever restitution is made by the issuer by means of a dishonored

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check after service of Notice of Dishonor by the City, an administrative fee, as established by Council resolution, shall be paid to the City of Grant by cashier's check or money order, made payable to the City of Grant.

    1. Effective Date.

This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage and publication according to law.

Passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Grant, Washington County, Minnesota, this 20th day of October, 1997.

Gary Erichson, Mayor

Attest:

Stephanie Marty, City Clerk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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