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HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD-12-93 Establish Cost & Fees Reimbursement System for Improper Use of 911 SystemORDINANCE NO. 12- 93 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ORANGE ESTABLISHING A COST REIMBURSEMENT SYSTEM AND A FEE FOR IMPROPER USB OF THE 911 SYSTEM.WHEREAS, the emergency response 911 system was established by AB 515 and implementation throughout the state was mandated on cities for a completion deadline of December 31. 1985; and WHEREAS, as a state-mandated cost on a city, the City of Orange is authorized to recover those costs to the extent possible through its own means and procedures;WHEREAS, the orange Police Department has determined the costs for providing emergency responses; and WHEREAS, The City Council has reviewed the Police Department report on 911 costs and concurs with the findings and conclusions therein; and WHEREAS, abuse of the 911 system results in costs to the City of over $60,000 per year and hinders provision of needed emergency services by placing unwarranted demands on emergency response personnel and 911 operators/ dispatchers; and WHEREAS, the best interests of the city would be served by recovering the cost for responding to unwarranted use of the 911 line to obtain police services; and WHEREAS, the City Council of the city of orange desires to establish a procedure and a cost basis for recovery of such costs;NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City Orange does ordain as follows: Section I:A new Chapter 9.40 is hereby added to read as follows:CHAPTER 9.40 UNWARRANTED 911 CALLS 9. 40.010 9. 40.020 9. 40.030 UNWARRANTED 911 CALLS; FEE.APPEAL AND HEARING.MODIFICATION.9.40.010 UNWARRANTED 911 CALLS; FEE. A fee of $25 per call shall be assessed for each 911 call for police services determined not to be a warranted use of the 911 emergency phone line. The person making the 911 call and the business or entity by which that person was employed at the time of the call, if the call was made to respond to the employer's place of business,shall be liable for the costs thereof. In the case of for response to a residence, the person making the call and the person in whose name the telephone account is listed shall be liable for the cost. In addition in the case of calls made by a minor, the minor's parent(s) or guardian having legal custody shall be liable for each unwarranted call made by such minor after the parent(s) or guardian has received notice of any prior unwarranted call by the minor. Notice shall be deemed to have been received five days after mailing by first class mail or upon personal delivery. Upon determination that the call was not warranted, the Department shall mail the bill by first class mail to the parties liable under Section 1 hereof or, alternatively may cause such notice to be delivered to the residence or business address of any such person and left with any apparently responsible person. A call shall be considered warranted if a reasonable person of the relative age and maturity of the caller would reasonably believe that an emergency situation existed which would require a rapid response by police, fire, rescue or ambulance/medical personnel. 9.40.020 APPEAL AND HEARING. Any person or entity contesting any bill for fees hereunder shall be entitled to a hearing before the Chief of Police or his designee upon filing an appeal within 15 calendar days of receipt of the bill. The bills shall contain a notice of the right to a hearing. In the event of an appeal, a copy of the hearing procedure shall be made available to the party filing the appeal. The Chief's decision on the amount of fees and the parties responsible for payment shall be final. 9.40.030 MODIFICATION. The amount or application of the fee established under this section may be modified from time to time by resolution of the City Council. SECTION II: Severability - Should any sentence, section, clause, part or provision of this ordinance be declared invalid, the same shall to affect the validity of the ordinance as a whole or any other part thereof.SECTION III:A summary of this Ordinance shall be published and a certified copy of the full text of this Ordinance shall be posted in the Office of the City Clerk at least five (5) days prior to the City Council meeting at which this Ordinance is to be adopted. A summary of this Ordinance shall also be published once within fifteen (15) days after this Ordinance's passage in a newspaper of general circulation, published, and circulated in Ord No. 12-93 2- the city of Orange. The City Clerk shall post in the Office of the City Clerk a certified copy of the full text of such adopted Ordinance along with the names of those city Council members voting for and against the Ordinance in accordance with Government Code section 36933. This Ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days from and after the date of its final passage. ADOPTED this 21st day of September ,1993. e+Z~ ATTEST: J1~~~~p~ city Cle 0 ht/C:Lty of Orange STATE OF CALIFORNIA) COUNTY OF ORANGE ) CITY OF ORANGE ) I, MARILYN J. JENSEN, city Clerk of the City of Orange, California, do hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance was introduced at the regular meeting of the city Council held on the 14th day of September, 1993, and thereafter at the regular meeting of said City Council duly held on the 21st day of September , 1993, was duly passed and adopted by the following vote, to wit: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS: SPURGEON, BARRERA, MAYOR BEYER, COONTZ, MURPHY COUNCIL MEMBERS: NONE COUNCIL MEMBERS: NONE COUNCIL MEMBERS: NONE 4iJ.J:4/d~~ City Clerk of e y of Orange RDH:dg 3-Ord No. 12-