ASSESSING VEHICLE RELEASE FEE

Mo - In the City's current budget situation, it is necessary for every dept to look for opportunities to limit General Fund costs or recover these costs through fees for performance of specialized services. One activity for which the City could recover costs is the computer checking & detective work associated with impounding of vehicles by Police Dept. "Impounded" vehicles are those taken for evidence, or until the owner takes some action required by law to secure the vehicle's release. The costs of vehicles could be recovered by assessing a vehicle release fee. The vehicle release fee would be in addition to towing fee & storage fee which are already collected by Official Police Garages. Various cities in California already assess such a fee to recover the costs associated with this activity. The City Atty's Office has preliminarily indicated that a vehicle impounding fee could be legal, but that an ord would be required amending the Municipal Code to auth its collection. It is estimated that such a fee could raise as much as $1 million or more annually. THEREFORE MOVE that Police Dept (Planning & Research Div) & CAO jointly rept to B&F Comt on feasibility & potential revenues associated with a fee to recover costs presently incurred, but not recovered by the City, in the processing of impounded motor vehicles.