Atlas Township to consider impound fees

Atlas Twp.-The township board will consider charging an impound fee for vehicles towed from the township during law enforcement traffic stops.
‘Currently, it takes deputies three to four hours to drive a suspect downtown, plus waiting for the tow truck to pick up the vehicle,? said Paul Amman, township supervisor. ‘The cost of having deputies here in the township continues to rise’we need to recoup some of those expenses.?
Amman said that approximately eight to 12 vehicles are towed from the township each month and about 98 percent of those arrested are from outside the area. The township contracts with Genesee County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services. The board will first consider a towing company in the area before deciding on a fee for the impound.
Brandon Township passed an alcohol, controlled substance, emergency recovery ordinance in 2006.
‘We send the cost breakdown to the court and they make it part of the sentence,’said Ron Lapp, Brandon Township supervisor.
‘It’s just reasonable costs. We are not there to punish the suspect, but to recover taxpayer dollars. We are getting money back, but it’s not a lot.?