Item 6E & 6F - PresentationOrdinance No. 788A, 2nd Reading,
Amending the Alarm System Ordinance
Item 6E & 6F
The City of Southlake provides municipal services that support the highest quality of life for our residents, businesses, and visitors.
We do this by being an exemplary model of balancing efficiency, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and sustainability.
Performance
Management &
Service Delivery
Safety &
Security
Mobility Infrastructure Partnerships &
Volunteerism
Quality
Development
C1 Achieve the
highest standards
of safety &
security
C2 Provide travel
convenience
within City &
region
C3 Provide attractive
& unique spaces for
enjoyment of
personal interests
C4 Attract & keep top-
tier businesses to drive a
dynamic & sustainable
economic environment
C5 Promote
opportunities for
partnerships &
volunteer involvement
B1 Achieve best-
in-class status in
all City disciplines
B2 Collaborate with
select partners to
implement service
solutions
B3 Enhance resident
quality of life & business
vitality through tourism
B4 Provide high
quality services
through sustainable
business practices
B5 Enhance service
delivery through continual
process improvement
B6 Optimize use
of technology
F1 Adhere to financial management
principles & budget
F2 Invest to provide & maintain high quality
public assets
F3 Achieve fiscal wellness
standards
F4 Establish & maintain effective
internal controls
L1 Ensure our people
understand the
strategy & how they
contribute to it
L2 Enhance leadership
capabilities to deliver
results
L3 Attract, develop &
retain a skilled
workforce
L4 Recognize & reward
high performers
L5 Empower informed
decision-making at all
levels in the organization
C6 Enhance the sense of
community by providing excellent
customer service and citizen
engagement opportunities
L6 Foster positive
employee
engagement
CBO1 –Maintain a
strong financial
position and
implement plans and
policies to ensure
future financial
strength.
CBO2 –Enhance
mobility through
aggressive traffic
management
initiatives and capital
project
implementation.
CBO3 –Engage in
thoughtful planning
to ensure continued
high quality
development that is
integrated well into
the current built
environment.
CBO4 –Optimize the
City’s commercial tax
base by attracting high
quality new businesses
to reduce the tax
burden on residential
taxpayers.
CBO5 –Improve
quality of life through
progressive
implementation of
Southlake’s
Comprehensive Plan
recommendations.
CBO6 –Invest to
maintain strong public
safety to ensure a low
crime rate and
effective emergency
response.
Purpose
•Update current ordinance for home and
business alarms from 2000 version
•Upon second reading approval, staff will
propose a contract for third party vendor
management
•Current ordinance provides for a fine structure
for repetitive false alarms, but it is not enforced
due to lack of tracking system
•Reduce false alarm response by PD
Facts
•Each alarm call requires 2 dispatchers
(phone/radio) & average dispatcher time
used is 4 minutes
•Each alarm requires 2 officers to respond for
an avg total of 18 minutes per call
•Less than 1% of alarm calls are legitimate
2018 False Alarm Response in Detail
Residential Alarms 2018 = 1,173 Business Alarms 2018 = 1,488
Number of residences with 1
alarm call =
594 Number of businesses with 1
alarm call =
134
Number of residences with 2
alarm calls =
140 Number of businesses with 2
alarm calls =
83
Number of residences with 3
alarm calls =
49 Number of businesses with 3
alarm calls =
49
Number of residences with 4 or
more alarm calls =
33 Number of businesses with 4 or
more alarm calls =
91
Number of businesses with 10 or
more alarm calls =
39
Reference –Crimes RMS
2018 Statistics
•2,661 total dispatched alarm calls from January 1st
to December 31st.
•1,173 Residential alarms
•1,488 Business alarms
•17.7% of all calls for service (14,972 in 2018)
•18 minutes -Average dedicated time on alarm calls
for two officers = 798.30 hours on alarm calls for the
year
•$89,035 permit fees (not fines) collected
•$665,250 total cost to provide response to alarms,
most of which were false
Ordinance Updates
Current Ordinance (2000)Updated Ordinance
False alarms # 1-3 Written notice False alarms #1-3 Written notice
False alarm #4 Written notice/permit
suspension
False alarm #4-5 $50 fine
False alarm #5 Written notice/permit
revocation
False alarm #6-7 $75 fine
False alarm #6+$50 fine (currently
never enforced)
False alarm #8 $100 fine
False alarm #9 $100 fine/permit
suspension
Benefits of 3rd Party Administration
•Third party staff perform all functions for the alarm
administration program to aid in cost recovery
–tracking, billing, citizen contacts
–collection of all alarm related fees
•Revenue sharing model
•No start up costs
•Reduction in false alarm calls allowing PD to focus on crime
prevention
•PMAM used in many TX cities, including Keller & Colleyville
•Online/cloud based for citizen convenience (permits, status,
fines, etc.)
•5 year initial contract period w/ single year auto renewals
PMAM Revenue Sharing
Revenue Collected
(every year)
City Percentage PM AM Corporation
Percentage
$0-$100,000 65%35%
$100,001 -
$200,000
72%28%
$200,001 –and
above
81%19%
Potential Savings in Officer Time
Projected % Reduction
in Alarms Calls
2018 Total
False Alarms
False Alarm Response Cost
(@ $125 per call X 2 officer
response = $250)
City of Southlake Cost Reduction
From a Third Party Administrator
Partnership
Current 2,661 $665,250
5%2,528 $632,000 $33,250
10%2,395 $598,750 $66,500
15%2,262 $565,500 $99,750
20%2,129 $532,250 $133,000
25%1,996 $499,000 $166,250
30%1,863 $465,750 $199,500
Reference –Crimes Database
James Brandon, Chief of Police
jbrandon@ci.southlake.tx.us