As Reported by the House Local Government and Townships Committee 1
122nd General Assembly 4
Regular Session H. B. No. 259 5
1997-1998 6
REPRESENTATIVES LAWRENCE-SCHULER-GARCIA-CAREY-SULZER-ROMAN- 8
TERWILLEGER 9
11
A B I L L
To amend section 505.511 of the Revised Code to 13
permit townships that operate a township police 14
department to impose a charge for false alarms 15
received from malfunctioning security alarm 16
systems under certain conditions, and to include 17
such false alarms answered by police constables 18
among the false alarms for which county sheriffs 20
and certain boards of township trustees may 21
impose charges. 22
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO: 23
Section 1. That section 505.511 of the Revised Code be 25
amended to read as follows: 26
Sec. 505.511. (A) The A board of TOWNSHIP trustees THAT 35
OPERATES A TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT OR THE BOARD OF TOWNSHIP 36
TRUSTEES of a township police district may, after POLICE 39
CONSTABLES, the township police, a law enforcement agency with 41
which the township contracts for police services, and the county 42
sheriff or his THE SHERIFF'S deputy have answered a combined 43
total of three false alarms resulting from the malfunction of the 44
same commercial or residential security alarm system within the 45
township in the same calendar year, cause the township clerk to 46
mail the manager of the commercial establishment or the occupant, 47
lessee, agent, or tenant of the residence, a bill for twenty-five 48
dollars for each subsequent false alarm from the same alarm 49
system during that year, to defray the costs incurred. If 50
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payment of the bill is not received within thirty days, the clerk 51
shall send a notice by certified mail to the manager and to the 52
owner, if different, of the real estate of which the commercial 53
establishment is a part, or to the occupant, lessee, agent, or 54
tenant and to the owner, if different, of the real estate of 55
which the residence is a part, indicating that failure to pay the 56
bill within thirty days, or to show just cause why the bill 57
should not be paid, will result in the assessment of a 58
twenty-five dollar lien upon the real estate. If payment is not 59
received within thirty days or if just cause is not shown, the 60
sum of twenty-five dollars shall be entered upon the tax 61
duplicate, shall be a lien upon the real estate from the date of 62
the entry, and shall be collected as other taxes and returned to 63
the township general fund. The board of TOWNSHIP trustees of a 64
township police district shall not cause the township clerk to 66
send a bill pursuant to this division if a bill has already been 67
sent pursuant to division (B) of this section for the same false 68
alarm. 69
(B) The county sheriff may, after he or his THE COUNTY 71
SHERIFF OR THE SHERIFF'S deputy, POLICE CONSTABLES, the township 73
police, and a law enforcement agency with which the township 75
contracts for police services have answered a combined total of 76
three false alarms resulting from the malfunction of the same 77
commercial or residential security alarm system within the
unincorporated area of the county in the same calendar year, mail 78
the manager of the commercial establishment or the occupant, 79
lessee, agent, or tenant of the residence a bill for twenty-five 80
dollars for each subsequent false alarm from the same alarm 81
system during that year, to defray the costs incurred. If 82
payment of the bill is not received within thirty days, the 83
sheriff shall send a notice by certified mail to the manager and 84
to the owner, if different, of the real estate of which the 85
commercial establishment is a part, or to the occupant, lessee, 86
agent, or tenant and to the owner, if different, of the real 87
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estate of which the residence is a part, indicating that the 88
failure to pay the bill within thirty days, or to show just cause 89
why the bill should not be paid, will result in the assessment of 90
a twenty-five dollar lien upon the real estate. If payment is 91
not received within thirty days or if just cause is not shown, 92
the sum of twenty-five dollars shall be entered upon the tax 93
duplicate, shall be a lien upon the real estate from the date of 94
the entry, and shall be collected as other taxes and returned to 95
the county treasury. The sheriff shall not send a bill pursuant 96
to this division if a bill has already been sent pursuant to 97
division (A) of this section for the same false alarm. 98
(C) As used in this section, "commercial establishment" 100
has the same meaning as in section 505.391 of the Revised Code. 101
Section 2. That existing section 505.511 of the Revised 103
Code is hereby repealed. 104