Sandpoint council adopts alarm fees

SANDPOINT — After spending what was described as an inordinate amount of time and man power responding to false alarms, the city last week implemented a new fee structure meant to deter home and business owners from calling in multiple false alarms.

Both Fire Chief Robert Tyler and Police Chief Mark Lockwood spoke out in favor of the fee increases at August’s council meeting. Tyler said his team has responded to as many as seven false alarms from one location in a single day, and Lockwood reported similar abuses of the system. The council voted 5-1 in favor of the fee increases, with Councilman John Reuter dissenting.

Under the new regulations, the first two false alarms received in a year will be forgiven, but beginning with the third false alarm, customers will be charged $150 per call. The fourth through sixth false alarm will cost $300 each, the seventh through ninth will cost $500, and the tenth and beyond will cost $1,000 each.

The council tabled Tyler’s second request, which would have added a user fee to certain emergency calls, including structure fires.

In requesting the user fee, Tyler said budget cuts and fewer available grants have left the department in need of another funding source. By implementing user fees for house fires and other emergency responses, Tyler said the department could recover — through homeowners insurance — a portion of the money spend on the calls.

On a split vote, the council voted to put the proposal onto next month’s council agenda for a public hearing. Mayor Gretchen Hellar joined council members Helen Newton, Carrie Logan and John O’Hara in voting in favor of the motion, with council members Michael Boge, Stephen Snedden and Reuter dissenting.

The council also revised its fee structure for various city services, including Community Hall rental and moorage at city-owned docks. After passing on a 5-1 vote, with Reuter dissenting, Community Hall rental fees increased $10-20 per hour, depending on how much space is being used. Moorage fees were also slightly increased for both city residents and visitors.