April 19, 2024 |
Photo – Cost of living increases – Courtesy Adobe Stock
The Rawlins city council officially raises the administrative fees on many services and discovers that only the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office has the authority to impound abandoned vehicles.
On January 30th, the City of Rawlins held a special work session to review the rates and fees charged for city amenities, such as the Rawlins Family Recreation Center and the Rochelle Ranch Golf Course. City Manager Tom Sarvey recommended raising the price on most of the items reviewed during the meeting.
This past Tuesday, the city held a work session to discuss Sarvey’s recommended changes.
Sarvey first went over the city’s administrative fees. The city manager said the price of the Community Access Transit System, or CATS, bus should increase by 250%. Sarvey said the city should offer a 50-cent discount for senior citizens.
Sarvey suggested a $50 increase to the annual license for solid waste haulers, raising the price from $250 to $300.
The city manager also recommended raising the price of a liquor license renewal by $500. Sarvey says the increased rate is in line with Wyoming state statutes.
Sarvey also suggested raising the daily fees for malt beverage, catering, and open container permits. The city manager proposed increasing the rates from $10 a day to $25 to cover the cost of processing the permit applications. If a special event requires a street closure, Sarvey recommended increasing the fee by the same amount.
Boarding dogs in the city will also get more expensive. Sarvey said breeder kennels should go from $50 to $100, business kennels, from $10 to $100, and hobby kennels, from $10 to $20.
Sarvey said the price of keeping exotic pets and livestock in the city should also undergo a hike.
Rates at the Rawlins Rochelle Animal Shelter are also set to increase. Sarvey said surrender and adoption fees for both dogs and cats should rise by $10.
Next, Sarvey said impound fees should nearly double, going from $8 to $15 a day. In addition, administrative fees for towing should go from $15 to $20.
Councilman Chris Weisenburg asked what types of vehicles are being taken to the city’s impound lot.
Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward said only vehicles involved with an investigation are impounded by the city. Councilman Weisenburg said the city can impound derelict vehicles as well. Chief Ward said state law only gives the county the authority to remove abandoned cars from the streets.
Chief Ward said his officers will tag a derelict vehicle and call the sheriff to tow it away.
Councilman Weisenburg asked City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave to verify that only the county can tow abandoned vehicles. Maberry-Nave said the city is only authorized to impound illegally parked cars.
Police Chief Ward said state law dictates that only the county may impound an abandoned vehicle. The police chief said derelict cars must be taken to a county-designated impound yard.
Chief Ward said in the past, towed vehicles were taken to the city’s impound lot. However, the police chief said the cost of storing and disposing of the cars far outweighed the sale price of the vehicles.
Attorney Maberry-Nave said the city’s ordinances were made before the state updated the laws regarding derelict vehicles. The city attorney said the council will need to change the city ordinances at a later date.
The Rawlins city council voted to approve all of City Manager Sarvey’s rate and fee increase recommendations.
