Companies Refuse to Pay Michigan False Alarm Bills

March 5, 2013

Alarm companies are refusing to pay nearly $134,000 in bills from the city of Flint related to police response to false alarm calls.

The Flint Journal reports the Burglar and Fire Alarm Association of Michigan is fighting the policy that bills an alarm company directly as opposed to the customer.

According to the city, it sent about 1,600 invoices from August through December to alarm companies. The city charges $79 per police run.

The alarm companies that received bills have refused to pay them. Flint’s state-appointed emergency financial manager Ed Kurtz says those involved are working on a resolution.

An ordinance enacted by Flint City Council in the late 1990s required that the charges go to the company, but it wasn’t previously enforced.