In a bid to free up police resources currently tied up in responding to false burglar alarms, the Peachtree City Council is being asked to adopt an ordinance that would establish fines for more than two false alarms a year for a given location.
The ordinance could potentially free up an additional 600 to 900 hours of available manpower if the city were to realize a reduction of false alarm calls between 40 and 60 percent, according to the memo to council from Police Chief H.C. “Skip” Clark.
The ordinance calls for a $50 fine for the third, fourth and fifth false alarms, escalating to $100 for the sixth and seventh, $250 for the eighth and ninth, and $500 for any false alarms beyond that amount.
An alarm system owner can also be held accountable for not registering his or her system, with a fine of $100.
The ordinance would allow for the alarm system’s owner to complete an online alarm user awareness class in lieu of a fine for no more than once each year.
The ordinance would require all alarm system owners to register with the city by Oct. 1, though the city would charge no fee. It also requires certain system maintenance and use standards.
In other business, council is expected to consider spending an additional $98,209 to expand the landscaping and mowing of various areas throughout the city for the rest of the year.
The funds would come from the city’s cash reserves, and would go to the existing contract the city has with TruGreen.
The figure includes just over $7,000 to mow the city’s four fire stations. Currently, firefighters have been handling that in-house, officials have said previously.
The biggest cost among the proposed landscaping enhancements is $35,000 for “subdivision enhancements” along with $16,189 for additional servicing of subdivision landscaped areas.
City staff is recommending that the $11,471 cost for cart path trimming be eliminated with the city handling the matter in-house by restructuring personnel to improve efficiency.
