SILVERHILL, Alabama — Businesses or individuals obtaining an alarm system in the town of Silverhill will now have to register with the police department and could face fines of up to $500 for excessive false alarms, according to an ordinance passed by the Silverhill Town Council during its regular meeting Oct. 17.

“The purpose of this ordinance is to reduce or eliminate the incidents of false alarms,” according to the ordinance.

Police Chief Kevin Brock also stated at a previous meeting that the message needed to be sent that excessive false alarms should not be tolerated. Brock was not present at the Oct. 17 meeting.

Under the terms of the ordinance, businesses or individuals obtaining an alarm system must register that system with the Silverhill Police Department and application for a burglary/robbery or fire alarm, a fire user’s permit and a fee of $25 for each must be filed with the police chief’s office each year.

Permits will expire Dec. 31 and must be renewed by Feb. 1 each year, according to the ordinance. Any new permits issued during the permit year will be prorated. Permit fees are non-refundable.

Those who fail to obtain a permit within 90 days or individuals more than 30 days delinquent in renewing the permit are subject to a $50 fine.

Residential alarm users over the age of 65 or alarm users which are governmental agencies or units (supported at least 50 percent by tax dollars) are still subject to the ordinance but do not have to pay a fee.

The ordinance also includes fee assessments regarding excessive false alarms, stating that the user will be required to take corrective action if more than three false alarms occur in a single year.

Fines will be levied if more than three false alarms occur during a single year, beginning with a $25 fine for the fourth false alarm, up to $500 per false alarm if 20 or more occur in a calendar year.

A fine of no less than $100 and not more than $500 or 60 days in jail could be levied if an alarm sounds and central dispatch is not notified in a timely manner, according to the ordinance.

The ordinance also includes definitions for false alarms, stating that alarms caused by criminal activity, weather-related conditions, equipment malfunction or power failure would not be considered “false alarms.”

In other business, the council tabled the review of the town’s wrecker towing ordinance.

There is currently only one wrecker service within the town limits of Silverhill and the current ordinance gives the in-town wrecker service first choice when towing services are required.

A request has been made by another wrecker company that would allow additional wrecker services to be considered on a rotating basis, provided those wrecker services can respond within a reasonable amount of time established by the ordinance, said Mayor Tim Wilson.

The town is also being asked to consider not requiring that the service have its wrecking yard within a certain distance.

“They want us to change it so that they can have an office here, but the wrecking yard can be in Mobile or elsewhere,” Wilson said. “My concern is that if the vehicle is involved in a criminal case, our police officer would have to travel to where the vehicle is in order to conduct an investigation. If they have to drive all the way to Mobile or wherever, that presents a problem.”