As Reported by the Senate State and Local Government 1
and Veterans Affairs Committee 2
122nd General Assembly 5
Regular Session H. B. No. 259 6
1997-1998 7
REPRESENTATIVES LAWRENCE-SCHULER-GARCIA-CAREY-SULZER-ROMAN- 9
TERWILLEGER-VAN VYVEN-OGG-KREBS-JOHNSON-PADGETT- 10
SENATORS SCHAFRATH-GARDNER-GILLMOR 11
12
A B I L L
To amend section 505.511 of the Revised Code to 14
permit townships that operate a township police 15
department to impose a charge for false alarms 16
received from malfunctioning security alarm 17
systems under certain conditions, and to include 18
such false alarms answered by police constables 19
among the false alarms for which county sheriffs 21
and certain boards of township trustees may 22
impose charges. 23
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO: 24
Section 1. That section 505.511 of the Revised Code be 26
amended to read as follows: 27
Sec. 505.511. (A) The A board of TOWNSHIP trustees THAT 36
OPERATES A TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT OR THE BOARD OF TOWNSHIP 37
TRUSTEES of a township police district may, after POLICE 40
CONSTABLES, the township police, a law enforcement agency with 42
which the township contracts for police services, and the county 43
sheriff or his THE SHERIFF'S deputy have answered a combined 44
total of three false alarms resulting from the malfunction of the 45
same commercial or residential security alarm system within the 46
township in the same calendar year, cause the township clerk to 47
mail the manager of the commercial establishment or the occupant, 48
lessee, agent, or tenant of the residence, a bill for twenty-five 49
2
dollars for each subsequent false alarm from the same alarm 50
system during that year, to defray the costs incurred. If 51
payment of the bill is not received within thirty days, the clerk 52
shall send a notice by certified mail to the manager and to the 53
owner, if different, of the real estate of which the commercial 54
establishment is a part, or to the occupant, lessee, agent, or 55
tenant and to the owner, if different, of the real estate of 56
which the residence is a part, indicating that failure to pay the 57
bill within thirty days, or to show just cause why the bill 58
should not be paid, will result in the assessment of a 59
twenty-five dollar lien upon the real estate. If payment is not 60
received within thirty days or if just cause is not shown, the 61
sum of twenty-five dollars shall be entered upon the tax 62
duplicate, shall be a lien upon the real estate from the date of 63
the entry, and shall be collected as other taxes and returned to 64
the township general fund. The board of TOWNSHIP trustees of a 65
township police district shall not cause the township clerk to 67
send a bill pursuant to this division if a bill has already been 68
sent pursuant to division (B) of this section for the same false 69
alarm. 70
(B) The county sheriff may, after he or his THE COUNTY 72
SHERIFF OR THE SHERIFF'S deputy, POLICE CONSTABLES, the township 74
police, and a law enforcement agency with which the township 76
contracts for police services have answered a combined total of 77
three false alarms resulting from the malfunction of the same 78
commercial or residential security alarm system within the
unincorporated area of the county in the same calendar year, mail 79
the manager of the commercial establishment or the occupant, 80
lessee, agent, or tenant of the residence a bill for twenty-five 81
dollars for each subsequent false alarm from the same alarm 82
system during that year, to defray the costs incurred. If 83
payment of the bill is not received within thirty days, the 84
sheriff shall send a notice by certified mail to the manager and 85
to the owner, if different, of the real estate of which the 86
3
commercial establishment is a part, or to the occupant, lessee, 87
agent, or tenant and to the owner, if different, of the real 88
estate of which the residence is a part, indicating that the 89
failure to pay the bill within thirty days, or to show just cause 90
why the bill should not be paid, will result in the assessment of 91
a twenty-five dollar lien upon the real estate. If payment is 92
not received within thirty days or if just cause is not shown, 93
the sum of twenty-five dollars shall be entered upon the tax 94
duplicate, shall be a lien upon the real estate from the date of 95
the entry, and shall be collected as other taxes and returned to 96
the county treasury. The sheriff shall not send a bill pursuant 97
to this division if a bill has already been sent pursuant to 98
division (A) of this section for the same false alarm. 99
(C) As used in this section, "commercial establishment" 101
has the same meaning as in section 505.391 of the Revised Code. 102
Section 2. That existing section 505.511 of the Revised 104
Code is hereby repealed. 105