Politics
Some Car Owners Would Get Another Chance to Avoid Getting Towed Under Proposed $2M Settlement
A car is towed by a tow truck. (Tam KC / iStock)
Owners of some cars reported as abandoned would get another shot at preventing their vehicle from being towed to the city’s dreaded impound lot under a measure endorsed Wednesday by the City Council’s Finance Committee.
The agreement to settle two long-running lawsuits would cost taxpayers $1.96 million, officials said.
Approximately $1.43 million will be used to create a compensation fund for Chicagoans whose cars did not have a valid state registration and were towed after June 11, 2017, officials said.
Chicagoans who had their cars towed by the city could get $1,250, if their vehicle was scrapped, or a refund of what they paid to get their car out of the impound lot.
The City Council’s Finance Committee unanimously approved the settlement, which is set for a final vote on Feb. 18.
Vehicles can be reported as abandoned after seven days on Chicago’s streets. Before crews can tow a car reported as abandoned, workers with the Department of Streets and Sanitation place an orange sticker on its window.
If the car has valid license registration stickers, the city is required to send a warning by mail to its owner that the vehicle is in danger of being towed. If the car isn’t moved, crews haul it to one of the city’s two impound lots.
Owners have 21 days to retrieve their vehicles before the city can auction it off or sell it for scrap, according to city policy.
The settlement would also require the city to send an additional warning by mail to the owners of cars reported as abandoned on the city’s streets that don’t have valid state license registration stickers, officials said.
The city will be required to send two notices by mail, on two different days, to the owners of impounded cars before they are sold or scrapped as part of the settlement, officials said.
It typically takes the city 15 days to tow a car reported as abandoned, officials said.
The settlement would resolve a lawsuit filed in 2018 by Andrea Santiago, whose 1998 GMC Savana 1500 that was fitted with special lift equipment for her wheelchair was towed by the city.
The settlement would pay Santiago $25,000 and cover court costs and attorney fees of more than $400,000, officials said.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
