Flowery Branch Council approves false alarm ordinance

FLOWERY BRANCH - Flowery Branch City Council Wednesday now has a false alarm ordinance on the books, with several changes.

The biggest change was deleting the section requiring alarm system owners to register their systems and get a permit.
Council got rid of that section after hearing opposition to it from two homeowners and Councilman Craig Lutz, who said it was an invasion of privacy.
Lutz said he supported the ordinance as a tool to cut down the number of false alarm calls in the city.

Homeowner and former mayor Jim Mathis said requiring permits would create an administrative burden.

“Think about what you’re doing by taking in registering of alarms and adding to the city’s work load," Mathis said. I’m not sure that’s where you want to go.”

Ed Asbridge also said it would be a cost and administrative nightmare and single out new homeowners.

“My suggestion is very simple,” Asbridge told Mayor and Council. “Just have the ordinance without the permit; why burden yourself with all that.”

Police Chief Gerald Lanich said he could make it work using a database instead of permit records.

“It’ll enable us to still know where the problems are,” Chief Lanich said. “We can address those without maintaining a total data base of all the alarms in Flowery Branch, we’ll just maintain the trouble alarm systems.”

Written warnings would be issued for the first and second false alarms and alarm classes would be no charge to users.

EXPANDING THE MAP

The Flowery Branch city map expanded around Hog Mountain Road and Spout Springs Road past I-985 with City Council's approval of annexation and rezoning of five property parcels.
Mayor Diane Hirling said the biggest annexation was the 15-acre site for Habersham Bank on Spout Springs Road.

“We’re moving our city eastward,” she said. “I think its around 20 acres that’s come into the city.”

Mayor Hirling said all the property was commercial, which would generate more revenue for the city.