West Dundee impounds could cost $500

Car impounds could soon cost you a pretty penny in West Dundee.

On Monday night, the village board approved creating an ordinance that would raise its vehicle impound fee to $500 from $150.

Trustees are due to vote on the ordinance next Monday and, if endorsed, the new fee would be effective April 1 and apply to vehicles seized during the course of criminal activity, Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said.

Those offenses include driving on a suspended or revoked license, driving without a license, driving under the influence, getting caught with drugs in a vehicle and felony arrests that involve using a vehicle to commit a crime.

For West Dundee, it's simple arithmetic.

The $150 the village started charging in 2008 when it got the authority to impound vehicles doesn't cover processing costs and police overtime for multiple court appearances, Interim Police Chief Andy Wieteska said.

Depending on how long a subsequent court case lasts, the village typically pays between $400 and $500 for each one, but DUI cases sometimes reach $1,000. West Dundee, on average, impounds 15 cars a month.

Besides getting what they feels they're due, authorities also hope the increase deters would-be criminals from getting into their vehicles.

“They're making the conscious decision to go out there and basically commit a crime and that burden is being paid for our taxpayers right now,” Wieteska said. “I don't feel that it's right that the taxpayers pay for that burden.”

The proposed impound increase brings West Dundee in line with what neighboring communities charge. You also need $500 to retrieve your impounded car from police departments in Algonquin, Carpentersville, East Dundee and Elgin.

Police do not anticipate changing patrols to generate more impounds, though.

“I don't see it as a moneymaker,” Wieteska said. “I see it as recouping some of our costs.”