David Brauer wrote: (snip) an acquaintance was towed the other day. (snip)He was warned not to park in the private lot a day earlier (snip) chanced it the next day thinking he'd only be there an hour, and got nailed.
(snip)I don't think he deserved the $200 charge! ($225 had he not paid cash. This was a private tow lot, by the way, not the city's.) (snip) I know the city makes mucho dinero from this, (snip) David Piehl comments: Actually, since it was a private lot and a private towing company, I'm not sure the city gets a cut at all - I've always had the understanding that the city gets a cut of tows that are from public spaces, like along the streets. Anyway, there is something that is skewing the price of this tow. I had a vehicle towed about 5 miles last summer near Sauk Centre to a repair place, and the charge was $75. A few years back, I had an antique vehicle towed almost 30 miles from a farm into town to get restored; that required special equipment because due to the condition it couldn't be "dragged". In any case, that tow cost $113. Why are private firms in Minneapolis charging so much? Is it like plumbers and electricians where city licensing requirements reduce competition to the point that the remaining firms have near monopoly conditions? Or, do the towing companies themselves need to collect such a high rate in order to pay their high property and income taxes? Taxes in Minneapolis are significantly higher than Sauk Centre or Fargo. Anyone have details? David Piehl Central __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
