As Introduced 1
122nd General Assembly 4
Regular Session H. B. No. 259 5
1997-1998 6
REPRESENTATIVE LAWRENCE 8
10
A B I L L
To amend section 505.511 of the Revised Code to 12
permit townships that operate a township police 13
department to impose a charge for false alarms 14
received from malfunctioning security alarm 15
systems under certain conditions, and to include 16
such false alarms answered by police constables 17
among the false alarms for which county sheriffs 19
and certain boards of township trustees may 20
impose charges. 21
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO: 22
Section 1. That section 505.511 of the Revised Code be 24
amended to read as follows: 25
Sec. 505.511. (A) The A board of TOWNSHIP trustees THAT 34
OPERATES A TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT OR THE BOARD OF TOWNSHIP 35
TRUSTEES of a township police district may, after POLICE 38
CONSTABLES, the township police, a law enforcement agency with 40
which the township contracts for police services, and the county 41
sheriff or his THE SHERIFF'S deputy have answered a combined 42
total of three false alarms resulting from the malfunction of the 43
same commercial or residential security alarm system within the 44
township in the same calendar year, cause the township clerk to 45
mail the manager of the commercial establishment or the occupant, 46
lessee, agent, or tenant of the residence, a bill for twenty-five 47
dollars for each subsequent false alarm from the same alarm 48
system during that year, to defray the costs incurred. If 49
payment of the bill is not received within thirty days, the clerk 50
2
shall send a notice by certified mail to the manager and to the 51
owner, if different, of the real estate of which the commercial 52
establishment is a part, or to the occupant, lessee, agent, or 53
tenant and to the owner, if different, of the real estate of 54
which the residence is a part, indicating that failure to pay the 55
bill within thirty days, or to show just cause why the bill 56
should not be paid, will result in the assessment of a 57
twenty-five dollar lien upon the real estate. If payment is not 58
received within thirty days or if just cause is not shown, the 59
sum of twenty-five dollars shall be entered upon the tax 60
duplicate, shall be a lien upon the real estate from the date of 61
the entry, and shall be collected as other taxes and returned to 62
the township general fund. The board of TOWNSHIP trustees of a 63
township police district shall not cause the township clerk to 65
send a bill pursuant to this division if a bill has already been 66
sent pursuant to division (B) of this section for the same false 67
alarm. 68
(B) The county sheriff may, after he or his THE COUNTY 70
SHERIFF OR THE SHERIFF'S deputy, POLICE CONSTABLES, the township 72
police, and a law enforcement agency with which the township 74
contracts for police services have answered a combined total of 75
three false alarms resulting from the malfunction of the same 76
commercial or residential security alarm system within the
unincorporated area of the county in the same calendar year, mail 77
the manager of the commercial establishment or the occupant, 78
lessee, agent, or tenant of the residence a bill for twenty-five 79
dollars for each subsequent false alarm from the same alarm 80
system during that year, to defray the costs incurred. If 81
payment of the bill is not received within thirty days, the 82
sheriff shall send a notice by certified mail to the manager and 83
to the owner, if different, of the real estate of which the 84
commercial establishment is a part, or to the occupant, lessee, 85
agent, or tenant and to the owner, if different, of the real 86
estate of which the residence is a part, indicating that the 87
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failure to pay the bill within thirty days, or to show just cause 88
why the bill should not be paid, will result in the assessment of 89
a twenty-five dollar lien upon the real estate. If payment is 90
not received within thirty days or if just cause is not shown, 91
the sum of twenty-five dollars shall be entered upon the tax 92
duplicate, shall be a lien upon the real estate from the date of 93
the entry, and shall be collected as other taxes and returned to 94
the county treasury. The sheriff shall not send a bill pursuant 95
to this division if a bill has already been sent pursuant to 96
division (A) of this section for the same false alarm. 97
(C) As used in this section, "commercial establishment" 99
has the same meaning as in section 505.391 of the Revised Code. 100
Section 2. That existing section 505.511 of the Revised 102
Code is hereby repealed. 103