21 March 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Wichita City Council voted on Tuesday to increase towing charges for private tows. At the same time, the Council learned that a program aimed at helping low-income people get impounded cars back is not as effective as intended.
During the meeting, the City Council considered some amendments to the City ordinances about wrecker companies. One of the amendments raises towing charges for private tows to be consistent with amounts allowed by the City’s negotiated impound contracts.
The new rates are:
Light towing – $120
Heavy duty towing – $312 per hour with a two-hour minimum
Mileage – $4.70
Storage – $36 per day
Heavy duty storage – $52 per day
The City Council approved the amendments on a vote of 7-0.
During the discussion, the Council members asked about a payment plan they approved last May to help people with impound fees.
Captain Ronald Hunt with the Wichita Police Department (WPD) said it took a couple of months for the WPD to get the program started.
“We just had to explain to people that it wasn’t up and running at the time,” he said.
The program officially began in August. Since then, of the 26 people who applied for the program, only two were approved.
Hunt said that most of the 26 did not meet the City’s criteria because:
Some were vehicles impounded by other law enforcement agencies, not the WPD.
Some vehicles were not registered properly, or the person was not the registered owner.
Three people submitted their applications past the five-day deadline.
Six were private tows, not police impounds.
“I think a lot of the general public just assumed that the city would automatically if their vehicle was towed anywhere or if the police department was on scene and it was towed somewhere, that they would be eligible for this program, and that’s just not how it was designed or set up,” Hunt said. “It was just there to assist those vehicles that were impounded by the police.”
One of the 26 people got their vehicle back without spending money or using the payment program.
“One was a complete homeless waiver which allowed that citizen to get their vehicle out for free, and there was no fees associated with it,” Hunt said.
Vice Mayor Mike Hoheisel asked if the deadline to apply for the payment program could be longer than five days. Hunt said the City chose five days because that is the average time a vehicle remains in impound. Plus, the payment program is only budgeted for $600 per impound.
“You start getting into seven, eight, nine days, it pushes that over, and so therefore, it would exceed that $600 limit that was set,” Hunt said.
City Council Member Maggie Ballard asked if the City should add emergency wrecker tows to the program. Hunt said that could be around 8,000 tows a year.
“It sounds like the criteria is pretty fine-tuned and doesn’t sound like a lot of people are able to use it, so maybe if we expanded it more, people would be able to take advantage of it,” she said.
Hunt said the WPD could discuss it with City staff to see if that is possible.
The current guidelines for the program are:
The owner (or renter) of the towed vehicle must be an individual. Businesses, including partnerships, trusts, for-profit corporations, and nonprofit corporations, are not eligible to participate in the program.
All requests for assistance must be received within five calendar days from the date of the tow or impound of the motor vehicle.
The owner must show proof of valid registration and ownership of the motor vehicle.
The owner must provide proof of being economically disadvantaged. (Please provide a few examples of qualifying programs.)
The payment plan would provide for monthly installments of no more than $25 for total amounts not to exceed $600. All fees should be paid within 24 months.
The plan will limit repayment of the City’s processing fee collected from impound contractors to $5 or less for indigent persons.
Individuals (owners) may only participate in one payment plan at any given time.
After the Council voted on the amendments to the wrecker ordinances, Mayor Brandon Whipple made a motion that the City should have an auditor look into the payment plan program.
“To give us a better picture of, I guess, are there barriers? Has it been implemented properly at the will of the Council? What were those barriers?” Whipple said. “It’s an opportunity for us to do a deep dive into really the, what was the will of the majority of the Council, to make sure that we are getting the desired outcomes.”
Hoheisel seconded the motion, and the Council approved it 7-0.