City Council Preview: Fire Alarm Fees Up to Chief's Discretion

Among other issues to be discussed tonight in the Minnetonka City Council Chambers beginning at 6:30 pm, will be fire ordinances.

Fire Department ordinances

These ordinances were introduced by the city council at the meeting on July 11. The council had no questions or concerns regarding the burn permit ordinance but did express concern about the changes to the fire alarm fee ordinance. Council members appeared to like giving flexibility to the fire chief to waive or reduce the fee but expressed concern about the open-ended language that was proposed, according to the agenda.

Fire Alarm fees

Council members discussed two options on July 11: adding criteria to the ordinance to guide the chief’s discretion or having the chief adopt a written policy that would provide that criteria. Staff revised the ordinance to include the requirement for a written policy. The language would read, if adopted by the council tonight:

The fire chief may waive or reduce the fire alarm fee if in the chief's sole discretion the alarm was caused by a true emergency circumstances justify such action based on criteria in a written policy adopted by the chief.

Staff prefers this option, according to the agenda, because it is very difficult to write in succinct language all of the factors that the chief would consider.

Another option for the council to view:

The fire chief may waive or reduce the fire alarm fee if in the chief's sole discretion the alarm was caused by a true emergency or by inadvertence when there has been no history of prior alarms at this location caused by the same person or same alarm system.

Burning permits

If adopted, Section 1. City code §910.020 (1) will be amended as follows:

(1) Except as provided below, a person must not set on fire, or cause or permit to be set on fire, any combustible material within the city, including grass, weeds, trees, other vegetation, wood, building materials or any structure, without first obtaining a burning permit from the fire marshal. An application for a permit must include  description of the material to be burned, the purpose of the burning, the area where the burning will take place, the time of the proposed burning, and the name and address of the person(s) who will be conducting the burning and who will be responsible for its control and extinguishing. If the purpose is other than a small recreational fire, the application must also contain justification for the burning.