NAMPA — After several residents complained about “predatory towing” at a downtown Nampa parking lot, City Council is considering regulating towing services.
During public comment periods at City Council meetings, residents have claimed as many as 26 cars have been towed from a private lot at First Street South and 13th Avenue South. The residents admitted that there were signs warning drivers not to park there, but their main concern was the high prices they had to pay to retrieve their vehicles from the towing company, AATCO Transmissions and Towing.
Residents claimed the company charged them $365 to retrieve their cars from the impound lot, which was echoed by several Google reviews. AATCO manager Randy Patterson said the fee is actually $285, plus $35 per night for storage, but one Google review mentioned there was a $45 gate fee, bringing the total up to $365.
“I hate the fact that it’s $365,” Councilman Rick Hogaboam said. “It seems ridiculous.”
Residents also complained that AATCO wouldn’t accept any form of payment other than cash to retrieve their cars. Some mentioned that they didn’t carry $365 in their wallets, and sometimes their bank wouldn’t allow them to withdraw that much at once. Patterson said AATCO only accepts cash to prevent people from canceling their credit card payments because they didn’t want to be towed in the first place.
“The bottom line is that they were parking illegally,” Patterson said.
Economic Development Director Beth Ineck reviewed Boise’s non-consent towing services ordinance at the meeting. According to Ineck, Boise’s ordinance states the maximum rate for a regular light duty vehicle is $125 for the initial towing, $25 for daily storage and $50 for the after-hours gate fee. The ordinance also requires towing companies to take credit cards, she said.
City Council members said they did not feel comfortable pursuing an ordinance that would set a limit on rates, considering it government overreach. Mayor Debbie Kling said by doing so, the city is essentially saying it is OK for companies to overcharge their patrons, but Councilman Bruce Skaug said if the city decides to regulate rates for non-consent towing, that could lead to caps for other services, like emergency medical care.
“It may be very outrageous, but it’s not for us to go in and say a business can’t charge ‘x,’” Skaug said.
Ultimately, the City Council decided to direct legal counsel to draft an ordinance to stipulate that Nampa towing companies must process some method of payment other than cash, but did not call for language to regulate pricing. The council will consider the draft at a future meeting.
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