Carpentersville doubles impound fee

Drivers will need to reach deeper into their pockets to retrieve an impounded vehicle in Carpentersville.

Village board members this week approved an ordinance to double the impound fee from $250 to $500. The additional fine is expected to generate about $215,000 in revenue, which will be used to pay down debt and help the village climb out of a projected $1 million deficit.

While state law authorizes police officers to impound a vehicle if a motorist is caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or without a valid driver's license, the Carpentersville law requires the owner of the vehicle to pay $500 to retrieve the vehicle. Exceptions to the ordinance are if the vehicle is reported stolen, or if it is a rental.

Village President Ed Ritter said increasing the fine would further deter people from getting behind the wheel unlawfully.

"I think people are thinking twice about driving in that kind of condition," said Ritter of the ordinance that has been in place for about a year. "It is a severe penalty but one that is well-deserved. You never want to put other people at risk. We hope to see a decrease in the number of DUIs."

The ordinance, which goes into effect March 12, dedicates half of the revenue to the payment of street and infrastructure bonds, while the remaining 50 percent will stay in the general fund.

The village is expecting to collect about $85,000 in fines for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

"We made a commitment to the residents to use only revenue from the general fund to pay down debt on the first two bonds," Trustee Paul Humpfer said. "But that couldn't happen because a majority of the board chose not to abate taxes that are used to repay those debts. This will be a reminder of the promise we made to residents."