CLEVELAND — Cleveland council members are currently deciding whether to increase the standard tow rate fee from $125 to $190.
New legislation making its way through council would not only increase the standard tow rate, but also raise the prices of extra fees, such as if tow truck drivers need to use a flatbed.
The proposal suggests the following increases:
There is a small change to these numbers, though.
According to Councilman Mike Polensek, it has been decided that the increase in fee from $50 to $75 for a recovered stolen vehicle tow will not happen.
Councilman Brian Kazy moved to amend it during the safety committee meeting on June 3. The $50 charge will remain the same if the proposal is passed as is.
Polensek told me that most of the time, commercial vehicle insurance covers the price of the tow for stolen car victims.
During that same meeting, Cleveland Police Sgt. Michael Donegan of the Vehicle Impound Unit explained that the recommendations were based on increases in the cost of labor, the average minimum wage in Ohio over the years, the increase in fuel costs, and inflation overall.
Donegan also said the potential increase stems from the towing of more electric vehicles.
"The batteries are prone to bursting into flames after an accident. One vehicle in particular had to be put out three times en route to the impound lot by Cleveland Fire Department from an accident scene in the city of Cleveland. The storage of those vehicles also poses a problem," Donegan told the Cleveland City Council Safety Committee.
He also made note of electric vehicles weighing more than standard vehicles, causing a need for more resources.
The increase in prices came at the request of the safety department.
"These changes came after tow truck companies approached the city and requested increases to reflect their current operating costs – since the fees haven’t changed in more than a decade. Our costs still remain comparable to most cities around the state," a city of Cleveland spokesperson told me in a statement.
A city spokesperson also said, "We also worked with City Council to amend the original legislation to ensure there would not be an increase for the cost of recovering a stolen vehicle. Additionally, it is the City’s policy to make efforts to contact the victim prior to towing a vehicle to the impound lot. We also want to encourage these crime victims to reach out to their insurance companies, as towing costs are often covered under theft claims of most insurance policies."
I reached out to roughly 10 tow companies in Cleveland to hear more about the increase in costs and their thoughts on the potential bump in fees. Only one responded.
Off the record, this Cleveland tow company confirmed costs are on the rise and that the proposed legislation, if passed, would be helpful as the nine contracted tow companies for the city have yet to see a raise in years.
Public Safety Director Dornat "Wayne" Drummond did tell the council's safety committee last week that towing fees have not been raised since 2014.
I stopped by downtown Cleveland on Monday to hear from local drivers how they feel about the possibility of a tow fee increase.
Scott Hutchinson said, "You follow the rules. It is what it is."
His family was on their way to the Guardians vs. Yankees game on Monday night. He said they paid $40 to park Downtown.
"When we come up to these games, we expect to, you know, spend a little bit. We budget for it. That works for us," Hutchinson said. "Forty bucks ain't bad."
He said he'd rather be safe than sorry.
Others, like Brian Cox and Ryan Smith, don't agree with the potential price increase.
Both told me drivers sometimes make minor mistakes, which end up being costly when they shouldn't be.
"One time, it was a water main break. I didn't know the water main broke in Little Italy, so I found out like four days later that my car was gone, so that was an extra $200 charge of staying there," Cox said. "It was terrible. I did not like that at all. It was very upsetting because one, I never got a phone call that they're doing roadwork and two, they never even gave me a discount or anything that there's a pothole under my car, and they had to tow it to fix it."
For Smith, he said there have been several instances where he thought he was parking in a "genuine spot."
"Next thing you know, the car's gone, then it's an insane fee. You would think it would only be a handful of dollars, but it always ends up being like $150, $200, $250. It's always way too much," Smith said. "It ends up being more than most people can afford. It is a ridiculous amount of money."
Cox echoed his sentiment, saying the fee wouldn't be fair because not everyone can afford it.
Cleveland City Council still has at least two readings to go through before a vote on this legislation can be had.
