NOTICE OF INTROCDUCTION OF AN ORDINANCE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Oroville City Council will hold a public hearing to consider the first reading of Ordinance No. 1897, adding Chapter 10.28 to Title 10 of the Oroville Municipal Code relating to Fire Department Cost Recovery. The public hearing will take place on May 19th, 2026 at 5:15PM, in the City Council Chambers, 1735 Montgomery Street, Oroville, CA 95965. Ordinance No. 1897 Fire Department Cost Recovery Program (Municipal Code Chapter 10.28) The proposed ordinance would establish a Fire Department Cost Recovery Program authorizing the City of Oroville to recover the actual costs of certain Fire Department responses that are determined to be non-emergency, preventable, negligent, excessive, or otherwise not related to bona fide emergency incidents. The ordinance is intended to ensure responsible use of emergency services while maintaining full access to 911 and emergency response for all residents and visitors. The program is not intended to discourage emergency calls where a reasonable belief exists that a true emergency is occurring. Key components of the ordinance include: Definitions distinguishing between bona fide emergency incidents and non-emergency incidents eligible for cost recovery; Authorization for the City to recover the actual costs of Fire Department responses determined to be billable incidents; Establishment of a Cost Recovery Review Committee consisting of the Fire Chief (or designee), City Manager (or designee), and City Attorney (or designee) to review and approve all billing determinations; Requirement that no invoice be issued without committee review and majority approval; Implementation of a mandatory Warning Notice prior to billing for qualifying non-emergency or repeat preventable incidents, providing notice and opportunity for corrective action; Identification of categories of billable incidents, including false alarms, non-emergency service assists, negligent or unlawful activity, specialized rescue responses resulting from avoidable conduct, and certain business or commercial service requests; Establishment of billing, collection, and appeal procedures for cost recovery invoices; Exemptions for bona fide life-threatening emergencies, good faith emergency calls, mutual aid responses, and incidents where cost recovery is prohibited by law. This ordinance is intended to reduce unnecessary strain on emergency response resources, improve system availability for true emergencies, and ensure equitable recovery of costs associated with preventable or inappropriate use of emergency services. A full copy of the ordinance and related documents are available for public review at the Oroville Fire Department, located at: Oroville Fire Department 2055 Lincoln Street Oroville, CA 95966 For more information, contact: Chris Tenns, Fire Chief Email: chris.tenns@fire.ca.gov
