Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

During the LaGrange City Council meeting on Tuesday evening, the city held a first reading for amendments to the ordinance that regulates block towing in the city. 

The Towing Ordinance covers stuff like insurance, response and certifications, which are fairly standard. The primary change was to block towing rates.

LaGrange Police Chief Garrett Fiveash explained that block towing rates are for when motorists have a wreck and ask officers to have the vehicle towed or when police tow a vehicle from the side of the road, like with a DUI.

Normally, when people are in a wreck, the officer asks them how they want to have the vehicle towed, at which point they can call a wrecker service and negotiate for a tow or they can have the police call the “next list” tow company and have them tow it at a set rate.

City Manager Patrick Bowie said Fiveash has been in negotiations with the local towing association and they were kind of settling in around 20% above the state rates that were passed recently by the State of Georgia.

Bowie said that was still subject to negotiation and the council’s input. Mayor Jim Arrington also asked Bowie to evaluate what 10% above the state rates would be.

“The wrecker association also wanted to add some additional costs associated with electric vehicles,” Bowie said.

None of the other jurisdictions that the city looked at, or the state of Georgia, currently pays more for electric vehicles but there is some justification for that. It is more difficult, Bowie said.

Fiveash explained that when a tow truck comes out for a standard gas vehicle, they just hook it and drag it up on the wrecker. 

“They’re there about 10 minutes. If that vehicle is electric, they have to support all four wheels at a minimum. They have to put a dolly under all four wheels, because when that vehicle is not running or it doesn’t have electricity to power the vehicle, anytime you turn those tires, it still generates electricity. That’s where we run into a potential fire hazard or an overload because there’s nothing there to meter that charge,” Fiveash said.

Fiveash said that’s why they want to charge more to store electric vehicles too. They have to separate them because damaged electric vehicles are a fire hazard.

Ultimately, the council came to a consensus on setting the new block towing rates at 10% above state rates but agreed to the 20% above state rates that the towing association requested for electric vehicles and increased storage fees.

The proposed rates are as follows for two-axle vehicles:

• $250.80 per tow for light-duty vehicles (up to 10,000 lbs)
• $429.00 per tow for medium-duty vehicles (over 10,000 to 20,000 lbs)
• $643.50 per tow for heavy-duty vehicles (over 20,000 lbs)
• $100 Cleanup fee following an accident to render the roadway safe
• $36.30 per day storage fee for vehicles

For electric vehicles:

• $329.00 per tow for vehicles without damage with a $66 storage fee per day
• $702.00 per tow for vehicles with damage a $315 storage fee per day