Delinquent parkers may return to their spots to find their cars missing as Athens commences its annual tow roundup this week to collect unpaid tickets.
Officers will patrol the streets comparing license plates to a list of cars with five or more parking tickets. If a match is found, a tow truck will be called in, and the offender will have to pay the outstanding tickets before paying the towing company to have the car returned.
This year’s roundup will take place throughout two weeks, from April 16-20 and 23-27. Last year, the roundup lasted only three days.
Throughout the past five years, Athens collected roughly $12,500 from tickets and late fees during the tow roundup said Capt. Ralph Harvey of Athens Police in an email.
More than 100 cars comprise the tow list, Harvey said, adding that it typically costs between $90 and $150 to have one’s car towed.
Athens grossed about $330,000 from parking tickets last year, according to a previous Post article. On average, that is about $13,000 per two-week period.
“The first year we did (the tow roundup), it was non stop. Every time it was as many cars as you could get as fast as you could get them,” said Eric Gryszka, owner of IBX Towing and Recovery, one of the five companies that tows for Athens Police.
Gryszka explained that last year he towed about four or five cars, a number he said was quite low.
Last year, the tow roundup did not bring in significantly more business than an average week, said Bill Weaver, manager of Autotech, another towing company in Athens that participates the tow roundup.
About 20 cars were towed during the tow roundup last year, Harvey said, adding that between two to three cars are towed on an average day.
“(The tow roundup) brings in more money than normal, but for the hours, sometimes it’s just not worth it,” Gryszka said. “Sometimes we’re just sitting around for hours waiting for things to happen and nothing does. Sometimes we lose out on other jobs; we can actually lose money.”
Since the institution of a program called Drivers with Excessive Tickets Excluded from Registration, which restricts drivers with unpaid tickets from renewing licenses and vehicle registrations, the number of towed cars for outstanding parking tickets has decreased.
“When we first started towing, we used to tow a car every day,” Gryszka said. “It (has) slowed down to where we tow maybe one car a week.”
Harvey said that though one may not be on the tow list, it is possible to be towed for only a single offense.
“By city code, any vehicle parked illegally can be towed immediately,” he said. “Generally, we only tow if you are on the tow list or there is an obvious need, handicapped space, fire hydrant, blocked driveway or road, for parades, etc.”
He added that the actual tow roundup occurs on overtime as an extension of the officer’s duties.
“(The tow roundup) does find additional vehicles, and a few people come in to pay ahead of time, one of the many reasons to advertise,” Harvey said. “The money is a side benefit, but it does make money.”
ld311710@ohiou.edu
