HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdopt Resolution No. 2019-07 increasing fees for burglar ala h _ City of Huntington Beach
File #: 19-173 MEETING DATE: 2/19/2019
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Fred A. Wilson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Robert Handy, Chief of Police
Subject:
Adopt Resolution No. 2019-07 increasing fees for burglar alarm businesses and alarm system
subscribers collected by the Police Department as established pursuant to Resolution No.
6656, and incorporating the increased fees into the Consolidated Comprehensive Citywide
Master Fee and Charges Schedule as established by Resolution No. 2016-59, and amended by
Resolution Nos. 2017-46, 2018-01, 2018-29, 2018-48, and 2018-55 (Supplemental Fee
Resolution No. 8) - Continued from February 4, 2019.
Statement of Issue: Staff recommends adjusting false alarm fees. This resubmission is at the
request of the City Council to lower false alarm fees for senior citizens consistent with other reduced
City fees for seniors.
Financial Impact: The recommended Resolution lowers the threshold at which false alarm fees are
issued and establishes new fees for false alarms for those without an alarm permit. Alarm permits
and false alarm fees generate approximately $400,000 in annual revenue in the General Fund. Staff
is recommending to increase, decrease and add new fines. Minimal changes are expected to
revenues as a result of the proposed changes to the false alarm fees.
Recommended Action:
Adopt Resolution No. 2019-07, "A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach
Increasing Fees for Burglar Alarm Businesses and Alarm System Subscribers Collected by the Police
Department as Established Pursuant to Resolution No. 6656, and Incorporating the Increased Fees
Into the Consolidated Comprehensive Citywide Master Fee and Charges Schedule as Established by
Resolution No. 2016-59, and Amended by Resolution Nos. 2017-46, 2018-01, 2018-29, 2018-48, and
2018-55 (Supplemental Fee Resolution No. 8)."
Alternative Action: Do not approve the Resolution and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
The Police Department responds to over 4,000 alarm calls each year and less than 1% are crime
related. Of these calls, 85% are the first or second offense. These false alarms are a massive drain
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File #: 19-173 MEETING DATE: 2/19/2019
on Police Department resources. Our current fee schedule does not allow for cost recovery of the
first and second offense. Staff recommends charging $25 for the first false alarm in a 12-month
period to be waived if the resident attends an online alarm school and $50 for the second occurrence.
The third through fifth false alarm is proposed to decrease from $130-$200 to $75-150. Staff also
recommends adding a new false alarm fee for those without an alarm permit. These fees would
range from $250 to $1,000 for the first through forth occurrence.
The first false alarm fee may be waived if an alarm permit application is submitted along with the
alarm permit fee within 10 days. See Exhibit A of Resolution 2019-07 for the table of proposed fee
changes. The fee for an alarm permit is $41 and no change is requested of this fee.
Senior Discount Program
The City currently has a Senior Very Low Income Housing Exemption/Discount Program (Senior
Program) that provides, to those who are eligible, an exemption for paying the City's 5% Utility User
Tax for electricity, gas, water, trash, cable, telephone, and cellular services and a 50% discount on
Firemed and Trash Services. In order to qualify for the Senior Program, according to Chapter 3.36
of the Huntington Beach Municipal Code, the applicant must be 62 years of age or older and have a
combined annual adjusted gross income of all members of the household that does not exceed the
Federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department Income Guidelines of "Very Low
Income Category." Staff recommends applying a 50% discount to the Alarm Fees of $41 for very low
income seniors, resulting in a reduced rate of$20.50 to remain consistent with the current program in
place.
Environmental Status:
N/A
Strategic Plan Goal:
Enhance and maintain public safety
Attachment(s):
1. Resolution No. 2019-07, "A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach
Increasing Fees for Burglar Alarm Businesses and Alarm System Subscribers Collected by the
Police Department as Established Pursuant to Resolution No. 6656, and Incorporating the
Increased Fees Into the Consolidated Comprehensive Citywide Master Fee and Charges
Schedule as Established by Resolution No. 2016-59, and Amended by Resolution Nos. 2017-
46, 2018-01, 2018-29, 2018-48, and 2018-55 (Supplemental Fee Resolution No. 8)"
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RESOLUTION NO. 2019-07
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
INCREASING FEES FOR BURGLAR ALARM BUSINESSES AND ALARM SYSTEM
SUBSCRIBERS COLLECTED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS ESTABLISHED
PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION NO. 6656, AND INCORPORATING THE INCREASED
FEES INTO THE CONSOLIDATED COMPREHENSIVE CITYWIDE MASTER FEE AND
CHARGES SCHEDULE AS ESTABLISHED BY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-59, AND
AMENDED BY RESOLUTION NOS. 2017-46, 2018-01, 2018-29, 2018-48, AND 2018-55
(SUPPLEMENTAL FEE RESOLUTION No. 8)
WHEREAS,pursuant to Chapter 5.56 of the Huntington Beach Municipal Code,the City
regulates burglar and robbery alarm systems, including establishing annual permit fees for
persons installing or using alarm systems, and fees for false alarm reports, which require a
response from the Police Department, thus needlessly diverting limited police resources; and,
Huntington Beach Municipal Code Sections 5.56.040(A) and 5.56.060 together provide
that no person shall install or use an alarm system without first applying for and receiving an
alarm permit, and paying the related fee in the amount set by City Council Resolution; and,
In accordance with the provisions of Chapter 5.56, the City Council adopted Resolution
Number 6656 on December 5, 1994 establishing fees for burglar alarm businesses and persons
installing or using an alarm system; and,
The City Council adopted Resolution 2016-59 establishing the Consolidated
Comprehensive Citywide Master Fee and Charges Schedule (the "Fee and Charges Schedule");
and
The City Council temporarily amended the Fee and Charges Schedule pursuant to
Resolution No. 2017-46. The City Council amended the Fees and Charges Schedule pursuant to
Resolution Nos. 2018-01, 2018-29, 2018-48, and 2018-55; and
The City Council desires to not only update the annual fees for burglar alarms, including
setting the annual subscriber and the false alarm fees, but also incorporate the fees into the Fee
and Charges Schedule; and
NOW, the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach does hereby resolve as follows:
Section 1. Resolution No. 6656 is repealed.
Section 2. The Alarm System Subscriber Permit Fee is set according to the Fee Study,
dated October 19, 2016, on file with the Department of Finance. The City Council establishes
the amount of the Fee to recover the full cost of the administering the Alarm System Subscriber
Permit Program. The Council further establishes a reduced fee for senior citizen subscribers who
are 62 years of age or older and have a combined annual adjusted gross income of all members
1
18-6831/195235/SFF
RESOLUTION NO. 2019-07
of the household that does not exceed the HUD Income Guidelines of the "Very Low Income
Category."
Section 3. Resolution No. 2016-59, as amended pursuant to Resolution Nos. 2018-01,
2018-29, 2018-48 and 2018-55, is further amended by adopting the Recommended Fee Level
column attached in Exhibit A, which shall become effective upon adoption of this Resolution,
and continue thereafter.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach at a
regular meeting thereof held on the 19th day of February , 2019.
Mayor
REVIE D APPROVED: APPROVED FORM:
City a a er NW71TIAtTOELD
rney -
AND APP VED:
C ief of Police
18-6811/195235 2
Exhibit A
Police-User Fees
No. Fee Description Current Fee Recommended %Cost,
Fee Level Recovery
PD-10 Alarm permit application review/renewal(non sworn) $ 41 $ 41 100%
PD-10.1 Alarm permit application review/renewal(non sworn)-Senior Rate 191 $ 41 $ 20.50 50%
False Alarm Fee with Permit
PDAI 1st and 2nd false alarm 12 monthperiod) 4 $ - Delete N/A
PDA 1.1 1st false alarm in 12-month period(waived w/online alarm school) [4 N/A $ 25 N/A
PDA 1.2 J 2nd false alarm in 12-month period 4 N/A $ 50 N/A
PD-12 3rd false alarm in 12-month period 4 $ 130 $ 75 N/A
PD-13 4th false alarm in 12-month periodrJ411 $ 150 $ 100 N/A
PD-14 5th false alarm in 12-month period $ 200 $ 150 N/A
PD-15 6th false alarm in 12-month period $ 300 $ 300 N/A
PD-16 7th false alarm in 12-month period $ 400 $ 400 N/A
PD-17 8th false alarm in 12-month period(plus non-response status) $ 500 $ 500 N/A
False Alarm Fee without Permit
PD-17.1 1st false alarm(waived w/permit application within 10 days) New N/A $ 250 N/A
PD-17.2 2nd false alarm New N/A $ 250 N/A
PD-17.3 3rd false alarm New N/A $ 500 N/A
PD-17.4 4th false alarm(plus non-response status) New N/A $ 1.000 N/A
Notes
[4] Placeholder for Master Fee Schedule(MFS); Not included in cost analysis
191 Senior discounted rate-applicant must be 62 years or older and have a
combined annual adjusted gross income of all members of the household that
does not exceed the HUD Income Guidelines for"Very Low Income Category"
Res. No. 2019-07
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss:
CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH )
I, ROBIN ESTANISLAU, the duly elected, qualified City Clerk of the
City of Huntington Beach, and ex-officio Clerk of the City Council of said City, do
hereby certify that the whole number of members of the City Council of the City of
Huntington Beach is seven; that the foregoing resolution was passed and adopted
by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of all the members of said City Council
at a Regular meeting thereof held on February 19, 2019 by the following vote:
AYES: Brenden, Carr, Semeta, Peterson, Posey, Delgleize, Hardy
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
RECUSE: None
City Clerk and ex-officio Clerk of the
City Council of the City of
Huntington Beach, California