Council looks to deter false alarms in Marysville

Ordinance decreases fee for permit holders, increases fine for not having one

Sometimes it occurs when cob webs or curtains sway from a ventilation system. Other times, random animals tip off the sensors.

No matter the cause, when an alarm system goes off the Marysville Police Department must respond.

“We go through hundreds and hundreds of false alarms a year,” said Marysville Police Chief Chris Sachs. “If it isn’t a true, active alarm, those calls are taking our resources away from where they should be.”

Marysville officials passed a resolution at Tuesday’s City Council meeting intended to deter the occurrence of false alarm calls.

“We reduced the fees for assessments for people who have active alarm permits through the city and established a fee for those entities that do not have an active permit,” Sachs said.

If an alarm system goes off and it’s clear a crime has been committed, the homeowner or business is not assessed a fee. However, if it was determined to be a false alarm, active alarm permit holders will be charged a $50 fee after the second false alarm in any given year – the second false alarm can potentially be waived if a training course is taken within 15 days. Subsequent false alarm calls were reduced from $150 down to $100.

An active alarm permit costs $40 annually.

The city also established fees for individuals without an active alarm permit in Tuesday’s resolution. Those found to not have a permit can be charged $150 for every false alarm after an initial call. Those individuals are still given an opportunity to reduce the $50 cost of the initial false alarm if they complete a training course and obtain a permit within 15 days.

The city changed its process last November. Before then, active alarm permits only needed