Single towing fee approved for city

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Updated: March 25, 2012 8:08AM

There will now be a $300 fee for vehicles towed through the police.

The City Council has approved an administrative fee of $300 when towing vehicles. Back in 2010, the council approved a three-tiered fee structure ranging from $150 to $500 for towing depending on whether the vehicle was being towed for a misdemeanor, an outstanding warrant or a felony.

The fee schedule was approved to recoup police department expenses for processing towed vehicles.

Police have processed 934 towed vehicles since December of 2010, with 894 vehicles impounded for misdemeanor offenses which carried a fee of $300. Since most of the fines fell into the $300 category, the $150 and $500 categories were eliminated.

Due to a new state law, an administrative hearing will also be automatically scheduled when the fine is levied against the owner of a vehicle. Previously, the city only scheduled hearings for owners who requested them. Less than 1 percent of owners have requested a hearing in the past, city officials said.