Council advances false-alarm ordinance drafting; proposes resolution to designate administrator and fees

The Millersville Borough public-works committee moved to send a draft false-alarm ordinance and stakeholder materials to the borough solicitor with instructions to prepare a final ordinance and a resolution that would designate the administering entity and establish the fee schedule.

Committee members told the solicitor they received a comprehensive definition of false alarm from Blue Rock Student Lodging, the high school and Millersville University and asked that the definition be incorporated into the ordinance. Committee discussion focused on whether the ordinance should specify the administrative details or leave those operational elements to a resolution. The solicitor’s counsel (Rebecca, staff member) told the committee that "that's more perfect for a resolution, not for the ordinance itself," explaining that ordinances are typically written broadly and that administration and fee schedules are better handled by subsequent council resolution and the borough fee schedule.

Committee members said they want the Blue Rock Fire organization to be the operational point of contact for alarm responses and records. The committee asked the solicitor to prepare a package so the council can adopt a narrow ordinance with the definitional and enforcement framework and then adopt resolutions: one designating the administering entity (the committee suggested Blue Rock Fire Rescue/Fire Department) and one setting specific fines and fee amounts to be included in the borough fee schedule. The solicitor noted that court-level penalties that proceed to a district justice (the ordinance includes standard language for court enforcement) are separate from administrative fees and are retained in the ordinance's penalty language.

The committee also reviewed a stakeholder-proposed fine schedule provided with their packet and recommended that those suggested fines be used as the basis for the fee-resolution rather than being embedded as fixed dollar amounts in the ordinance text. The committee voted to send the ordinance and the accompanying administrative/fee materials to the solicitor and to prepare the resolution package for council action.

The solicitor and staff will return with a final ordinance and two resolutions for the council’s consideration; the committee requested final language that retains a clear recordkeeping role for the administering fire company while keeping fee setting in the council’s fee-schedule/resolution process.