By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Several changes within the state’s statutes have reopened a frequently thorny issue within Whitewater: ticketing and towing vehicles unlawfully parked within private and public lots.
The Common Council on Dec. 6 delved into the issue with Police Chief Lisa Otterbacher, City Attorney Wally McDonell and other municipal staffers. No firm decisions are directives were made, though a formal recommendation is anticipated in the months ahead.
The city currently has a system in place that calls for a police officer to ticket a vehicle before it is towed, usually at the request of the owner of the lot. Most towing instances currently occur within the privately owned lots.
Otterbacher said statutes have placed regulations around when towing can occur, particularly in terms of the type of signage that can be placed within a lot. The statutes assert language needs to be clearly spelled out and suggests images of a towing vehicle should be placed on signs.
In addition to weighing the state requirements and how they would fit into city policies, council members deliberated over the merits of issuing $20 citations — a fee that is incurred on top of the towing charge by a private contractor.
“I don’t have an opinion,” Otterbacher said, when asked by the council. “Whatever you guys think is best.”
Based on the existing system, Otterbacher said there has been some merit in the citation procedure, if only because it provides a clear record of when a vehicle was ordered removed and under what circumstances.
“It does provide a healthy system of checks and balances,” she said.
Throughout the discussion, Otterbacher and McDonell said it is important to have a documentation of when vehicles are towed from a lot so the vehicle’s owner knows his or her property has not been stolen.
McDonell said his office has received calls from concerned persons who had not learned their vehicle was towed and were looking for answers on how they could retrieve it.
“It has happened, and it is a problem,” McDonell said of the scenario.
