FOLEY — Forward City residents can say goodbye to alarm fees.

That’s because during its regular meeting Monday, the Foley City Council agreed to change its current city ordinance regarding fire-and burglar alarms within the municipality.

The original ordinance, which was penned in the 1990s required a $25 yearly fee for each alarm from home and business owners and included an additional fee for false alarms. Monday’s discussion broached the idea that the registration and its associated fee enabled the city to have a database to conact the building owner if the alarm went off. However, it was made clear that today’s alarm systems are monitored electronically by companies installing them, eliminating the city’s need for such a database.

“The technology has changed,” Foley City Administrator Mike Thompson said in a phone interview following the meeting.

He explained that current technology allows alarm companies to locate alarms and address them before authorities or system owners are even aware they’ve gone off.

The ordinance also addresses fees for false alarms. It states that if a business or home owner’s system repeatedly emits false alarms and they go unaddressed, fines will be charged. The ordinance stipulates that $25 each will be charged for four to six false alarms in a calendar year. An additional $25 per alarm for seven to 10 per year. Then the fees ascend, with a $500 fine per alarm charged for each false alarm made 20 or more times in a calendar year.

While that portion of the ordinance will not change, Foley Fire Chief Joey Darby explained that sometimes malfunctions occur or in business alarms, the systems contain multiple sensors that can erroneously go off at different times. If it’s clear the system owner is working to eradicate the problem, no fines will be charged.

“We’re looking at fines for people who are not correcting problems we find in their system,” he said in a phone interview following the meeting.

That’s because false alarms pull response teams away from actual emergencies that could occur.

Following the discussion, the Foley City Council set a public hearing on changes to the ordinance. In the meantime, the language of that change would be reviewed so a date for the hearing could be finalized. The city is also refunding fees already received for the 2013 calendar year.

Both Darby and Thompson hope that with the elimination of registration fees, which were renewed each February, more home and business owners will be prompted to install alarm systems.

“I really view it as a positive for our community and both our (Fire and Police) departments,” Darby said.