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Item 5.
 
City Council Regular
Date: 09/22/2025
Title: Public Hearing and Resolution for False Alarm Assessments
Presented by: Andy Zoeller, Finance Director
Department: Finance
Presentation: Yes
Legal Review: No
Project Number: N/A

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that the City Council conduct a public hearing and pass the attached assessment resolution authorizing staff to alter list if the assessments are paid prior to submitting to the County Treasurer.

BACKGROUND (Consistency with Adopted Plans and Policies, if applicable)

Pursuant to the Billings, Montana City Code (BMCC), Section 14-602, provides that the City shall impose upon the owner or responsible person of an alarm system for the third and each subsequent false alarm at the same property in a calendar year.

Several properties are delinquent on either Police or Fire false alarm fees billed 30 or more days ago.  The City Code allows unpaid false alarm fees to be placed on the assessment rolls. This will be the first year any unpaid fees are assessed. Alarm responses by the police or fire departments that were deemed to be a false request after the third false alarm at the same property were billed quarterly. The properties on the attached list had unpaid false alarm fees over 30 days delinquent and will be assessed on the tax rolls to recover the unpaid fees. 
 

ALTERNATIVES

City Council may:
  • Approve; or,
  • Not Approve, in which case the property owners will not be assessed, and the Public Safety Fund will not be reimbursed for false alarm responses.

FISCAL EFFECTS

The assessments total $18,750.00 and the payments will reimburse the Public Safety Fund.

Attachments