Unanswered questions and lack of support delayed a planned vote by Syracuse Common councilors Monday to impose a $30 annual fee on burglar alarm owners. The measure has been discussed since March as a way to recover the cost of police responding to numerous false alarms.
City officials say there were more than 9,800 alarms last year, and all but 14% were false. The yearly assessment for the more than 13,000 households and businesses with alarms would raise about $360,000 dollars a year. Business groups have been opposed to the measure from the beginning.
There are 86 alarm companies doing business in the city. A leading carrier is Time Warner, which is also opposed to the measure.
The alarm companies would collect the money, and ideally provide the city with accurate owner information.
Neither city hall nor police had any figures on how many alarms resulted in an arrest. The council isn’t likely to take up the measure again until January.
