From
Fred Bates, Jr.
Title
Ordinance amending Chapter 25, "Traffic," Article V, "Towing," Section 25-60 "Authority to Remove; Procedure; Fees," by increasing the Police Department's Auto Pound fees for towing
Presenter
Steve Dye, Deputy City Manager / Chief of Police, and Ryan Simpson, Support Services Division Manager
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
The Police Department continues to review and evaluate the efficiency of its operation and management of City resources while providing a high level of quality service to the citizens and visitors of Grand Prairie. While conducting an overall review of operations at the Auto Pound facility located at 3010 Hardrock Road, staff recognized the need to reassess the current associated operating costs.
The Auto Pound serves as the location where towed vehicles are impounded and stored by various City departments, including but not limited to Police and Fire. Vehicles are towed and impounded for various reasons, including: collisions, abandoned vehicles, stolen vehicle recoveries, arrests, and City code violations. An evaluation of costs associated with performing these vital public safety functions found that operating costs had increased without any adjusted fee increases since 2011. Additionally, the City’s towing contractor (Dave’s Hi-Way Wrecker Service, Inc.), which has provided quality towing services to the City for several years, recently agreed to a new contract that included an increase in costs for services.
Based on the aforementioned factors, staff is recommending Ordinance amendment to assess towing fee increases to cover the additional costs to operate the Auto Pound and to pass through the price increase associated with the new tow service contract.
Current Fee Proposed Fee Increase
Standard Tow $153.00 $171.00 $18.00 per tow
Heavy Duty Tow $228.00 per hour $246.00 per hour $18.00 per hour
Staff compared both current and proposed fees with surrounding agencies. The comparis...
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