Sunday, February 17, 2008
McHenry County Towing Ordinance Questions and Answers
The following questions and their answers have been provided by McHenry County Board member Nick Provenzano:
Q: One of the towing owners mentioned $3600 in yearly fees. What are the actual fees to the company?
A: The Towing Owner must have a relocator’s license ($900 for two years), each tow truck operator (driver) must have an employee permit ($90 annually) and each dispatcher must have an employee permit ($90 annually). I listed the current fee schedule below. For a typical two truck operation with two dispatchers, I estimated the application fees to be $2,200.00 for a period of two years. In comparison, McHenry County currently charges $1,500 annually for a liquor license plus a $1,000 one-time non-refundable application fee, and an additional $500 annually if they operate any patio, deck or outdoor liquor service.
Q: How much can towing operators charge for towed vehicles?
A: The towing fees are market driven via a formula set by state statute. The initial rates that relocators can charge “shall not exceed the mean average of the 5 highest rates for Police Tows within the jurisdiction regulated (McHenry County)”. Each year a tow operator may petition the ICC to raise these rates. In the counties already under regulation, the maximum tow rates have been adjusted over the several years they have been regulated.
Commander Baner of the ICC Police has projected that the initial maximum towing fees for McHenry County would be set as follows:
Q: In what other Counties does the ICC regulate relocation towing?
A: Currently the Commission regulates the relocation towing in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will and Winnebago counties.
Q: Are there any online resources for additional information?
A: The Illinois Administrative Code is online at: http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/092/09201710sections.html a hard of this document has also been available on the table in the County Admin Office.
Several documents were also sent to you that I found on-line at the ICC web site which can be sourced at:
http://www.icc.illinois.gov/consumer/default.aspx#relocationtowing
TITLE 92: TRANSPORTATION
CHAPTER III: ILLINOIS COMMERCE COMMISSION
SUBCHAPTER d: RELOCATION TOWING
PART 1710 RELOCATION TOWING
SECTION 1710.160 FEES
Section 1710.160 Fees
The following fees shall apply:
(Source: Amended at 28 Ill. Reg. 13220, effective October 1, 2004)
Q: One of the towing owners mentioned $3600 in yearly fees. What are the actual fees to the company?
A: The Towing Owner must have a relocator’s license ($900 for two years), each tow truck operator (driver) must have an employee permit ($90 annually) and each dispatcher must have an employee permit ($90 annually). I listed the current fee schedule below. For a typical two truck operation with two dispatchers, I estimated the application fees to be $2,200.00 for a period of two years. In comparison, McHenry County currently charges $1,500 annually for a liquor license plus a $1,000 one-time non-refundable application fee, and an additional $500 annually if they operate any patio, deck or outdoor liquor service.
Q: How much can towing operators charge for towed vehicles?
A: The towing fees are market driven via a formula set by state statute. The initial rates that relocators can charge “shall not exceed the mean average of the 5 highest rates for Police Tows within the jurisdiction regulated (McHenry County)”. Each year a tow operator may petition the ICC to raise these rates. In the counties already under regulation, the maximum tow rates have been adjusted over the several years they have been regulated.
Commander Baner of the ICC Police has projected that the initial maximum towing fees for McHenry County would be set as follows:
$125 Passenger Vehicles up to 10,000 lbs.Storage is free for the first 24 hours then the maximum rate is $45/day (correction: storage would commence at $25/day but tow operators could petition to have that raised).
$520 Trucks 10,001 – 40,000 lbs.
$700 Trucks 40,001 lbs or greater
Q: In what other Counties does the ICC regulate relocation towing?
A: Currently the Commission regulates the relocation towing in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will and Winnebago counties.
Q: Are there any online resources for additional information?
A: The Illinois Administrative Code is online at: http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/092/09201710sections.html a hard of this document has also been available on the table in the County Admin Office.
Several documents were also sent to you that I found on-line at the ICC web site which can be sourced at:
http://www.icc.illinois.gov/consumer/default.aspx#relocationtowing
TITLE 92: TRANSPORTATION
CHAPTER III: ILLINOIS COMMERCE COMMISSION
SUBCHAPTER d: RELOCATION TOWING
PART 1710 RELOCATION TOWING
SECTION 1710.160 FEES
Section 1710.160 Fees
The following fees shall apply:
(Source: Amended at 28 Ill. Reg. 13220, effective October 1, 2004)
Labels: Illinois Commerce Commission, NIck Provenzano, Tow Truck, Towing
# posted by Cal Skinner : 7:33 AM
ICC Regulation of Relocation Towing
The following has been provided by McHenry County Board member Nick Provenzano:
ICC Regulation of Relocation Towing
Benefits to McHenry County Constituents
It is the policy of the State of Illinois to supervise and regulate the commercial removal of trespassing vehicles from private property, and the subsequent relocation and storage of such vehicle in such manner as to fairly distribute rights and responsibilities among vehicle owners, private property owners and commercial vehicle relocators.
A few of the benefits that ICC regulation will bring to the constituents of McHenry County:
Regulates the maximum fee a tow operator can charge to tow a vehicle.
Regulates the maximum fee charged for storage of a vehicle and provides the first 24 hours of storage at no charge.
Prohibits additional fees above the maximum tow rate for use of credit cards.
Requires signs to be posted in visible location warning of potential tow.
Requires signs to state towing fee, location, hours of operation and phone number of storage yard.
Requires tow operator to contact local Law Enforcement to notify of tow within one hour of the removal of the vehicle.
Prohibits tow operator from towing the vehicle if the owner of the vehicle is on hand and able to remove the vehicle immediately.
Tow operators, truck drivers and dispatchers will undergo criminal background checks.
Requires tow operators to identify on the tow trucks the name, address and phone number of the company.
Requires prior permission to tow from the property owner. Tow operators cannot cruise parking lots that they are not under contract with.
Prohibits the removal of the vehicle more than 15 air miles away in an unincorporated area or 10 air miles in any other location.
Tow operators are required to provide all Law Enforcement agencies the contact phone number where a vehicle owner can reach someone to retrieve their vehicle.
If the owner of the vehicle is unable to make telephone contact with the towing operator for a period of one hour from his initial attempt all fees for towing and storage are to be waived.
Towing operators are required to file an indemnity bond or liability insurance with the ICC.
No operator will be able to receive a tow relocation license if convicted of certain criminal activity during the preceding five years.
Labels: ICC, Illinois Commerce Commission, NIck Provenzano, Tow Truck, Towing
# posted by Cal Skinner : 7:33 AM
Friday, February 08, 2008
U.S. Senator Tom Colburn's Introduction of John McCain at the Conservative Politial Action Committee Convention
Here is Oklahoma United States Senator Tom Colburn's introduction of U.S. Senator John McCain at the Cain at the Conservative PoliticTom al Action Committee Convention:
By Tom Coburn
February 7, 2008
I'm honored by the invitation to be here today. I want to thank each of you for your devotion to our country, and for the sacrifices you have made to participate in this event.
I have the privilege today to say a few words about John McCain, a man of rare courage and character, who I believe is uniquely equipped to lead our nation through the difficult challenges ahead.
As conservatives, I know that most of us are sick and tired of politicians who tell us what we want to hear then govern in the opposite way. We won't have that problem with John McCain. He may not always tell us what we want to hear, but he will say what he means and do what he says.
John McCain has the unique blend of character, guts, and experience to tackle the two greatest challenges facing our country - radical Islamic extremism and the looming financial catastrophe that will hit our economy when the Baby Boomers retire.
The fact is, we haven't had a president over the last eight years who had the guts to take on the excesses of a Republican and Democrat Congress. Our government wastes $200 billion every year. Every year. John McCain will lead a top down review of everything government does and actually cut wasteful and duplicative spending. If we don't elect a president who will challenge the excesses of Congress we will wreck our economy. John McCain will heed Will Durant's warning that, "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within."
I trust John McCain because he possesses the rarest virtue in politics upon which all else depends - courage. He has risked his political life during this presidential campaign. In defense of the unpopular surge in Iraq, John McCain said, "I'd rather lose the presidency than lose the war." John McCain may win the presidency precisely because he was willing to let it go in service to his country.
Courage matters most in Washington, especially when dealing with Congress. Just as no battle plan survives contact with the enemy, no presidential agenda - however conservative - survives contact with Congress. John McCain has the courage, grit and conviction to tell Congress no and fight for the reforms we need to secure our future.
Maybe it's John McCain's disregard for his own personal political safety and the opinions of other politicians that led an appropriator to say the thought of McCain presidency sends chills down their spine. Anything that sends a chill down the spines of big spenders in Congress should warm the heart of every American taxpayer.
Other critics have said that John McCain stood in the way of the conservative GOP agenda. But, as conservatives, we have to look at the whole picture. In fact, due to a failure of leadership in Congress, I'm not sure we've had a comprehensive GOP conservative agenda since 1995.
Was the Bridge to Nowhere and an explosion of earmarks part of the GOP conservative agenda? John McCain was one of only 11 Republicans who supported me in my fight to kill the Bridge to Nowhere. Most Republicans were marching off the bridge we were trying to de-fund. What John McCain's record tells me is that we won't have to wait until the last year of his presidency to see him pick a fight with Congress over wasteful Washington spending. John McCain will declare war on pork - the gateway drug to spending addiction in Congress - on day one. There will be no earmarks for teapot museums, First Lady Libraries and taxpayer-funded hippie flashbacks in a McCain administration.
The new prescription drug entitlement our party leadership pushed on us was part of the GOP agenda but it wasn't part of the conservative agenda. John McCain had the foresight to vote against Medicare Part D, the largest entitlement expansion since Lyndon Johnson, when many Republicans were AWOL. John McCain believes Congress should keep the promises it has already made before making new promises it can't keep. He also has the most comprehensive and conservative health care reform plan of any candidate. John McCain will fight the government-run, universally-controlled health plans supported by Clinton and Obama with common sense, free-market principles that work.
Even if John McCain has taken some positions we don't like as conservative, I don't believe you can ignore the fact that he took many bold stands against the Big Government Republican agenda that destroyed our majority. When most Republicans were trying to build a governing majority through pork - and were growing the government faster than the Democrats who came before us - John McCain was pushing the party in the opposite direction on key issues.
Let me touch on some other issues.
On judges, I wouldn't have endorsed John McCain if I wasn't confident he will nominate judges like the ones he has voted to confirm in the Senate: Bork, Thomas, Roberts, Alito, Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown. I also know that he shares my desire to see the Senate approve conservative judges now.
On immigration, John McCain was trying to solve a problem which, incidentally, hasn't improved much. He listened and learned and decided the facts were on our side. He doesn't have a secret plan to enact blanket amnesty as president. And, if he did, he knows I'd kill it.
McCain-Feingold misdiagnosed the real problem as too much money to politicians rather than politicians whose votes are for sale. Even though I disagreed with McCain-Feingold, John McCain's desire to tackle corruption in the congressional neighborhood was correct. The source of Washington's corruption isn't K Street; it's Congress' lack of restraint, and John McCain has taken bold steps to tackle that problem at its source.
Still, I have to say that the concerns I hear about John McCain pale in comparison to the two greatest challenges facing our country - terrorism and a Congress that refuses to correct our unsustainable fiscal course. If we get all of those other issues right but those two issues wrong we won't survive as a nation. John McCain's record on the issues that are paramount to our future is a record conservatives can support. John McCain also has a conservative record on what is arguably the transcendent social issue of our time: the sanctity of life. He has been pro-life for 24 years and has record that matches his principles.
And, on national security, John McCain is by far the most qualified candidate on either side. He will meet not only the security challenges we know about but, more importantly, those we don't know about. Tyrants and terrorists will think twice about challenging the United States with John McCain in the White House.
Is John McCain perfect? No. Will we disagree with him sometimes? Yes. But, elections are about choices. I'd be happy to debate anyone who thinks staying home or supporting Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama is a better choice for our future than John McCain.
Now, I'd ask you to welcome the person who is best equipped to talk about his own record and vision for the future, the next President of the United State, John McCain.
By Tom Coburn
February 7, 2008
I'm honored by the invitation to be here today. I want to thank each of you for your devotion to our country, and for the sacrifices you have made to participate in this event.
I have the privilege today to say a few words about John McCain, a man of rare courage and character, who I believe is uniquely equipped to lead our nation through the difficult challenges ahead.
As conservatives, I know that most of us are sick and tired of politicians who tell us what we want to hear then govern in the opposite way. We won't have that problem with John McCain. He may not always tell us what we want to hear, but he will say what he means and do what he says.
John McCain has the unique blend of character, guts, and experience to tackle the two greatest challenges facing our country - radical Islamic extremism and the looming financial catastrophe that will hit our economy when the Baby Boomers retire.
The fact is, we haven't had a president over the last eight years who had the guts to take on the excesses of a Republican and Democrat Congress. Our government wastes $200 billion every year. Every year. John McCain will lead a top down review of everything government does and actually cut wasteful and duplicative spending. If we don't elect a president who will challenge the excesses of Congress we will wreck our economy. John McCain will heed Will Durant's warning that, "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within."
I trust John McCain because he possesses the rarest virtue in politics upon which all else depends - courage. He has risked his political life during this presidential campaign. In defense of the unpopular surge in Iraq, John McCain said, "I'd rather lose the presidency than lose the war." John McCain may win the presidency precisely because he was willing to let it go in service to his country.
Courage matters most in Washington, especially when dealing with Congress. Just as no battle plan survives contact with the enemy, no presidential agenda - however conservative - survives contact with Congress. John McCain has the courage, grit and conviction to tell Congress no and fight for the reforms we need to secure our future.
Maybe it's John McCain's disregard for his own personal political safety and the opinions of other politicians that led an appropriator to say the thought of McCain presidency sends chills down their spine. Anything that sends a chill down the spines of big spenders in Congress should warm the heart of every American taxpayer.
Other critics have said that John McCain stood in the way of the conservative GOP agenda. But, as conservatives, we have to look at the whole picture. In fact, due to a failure of leadership in Congress, I'm not sure we've had a comprehensive GOP conservative agenda since 1995.
Was the Bridge to Nowhere and an explosion of earmarks part of the GOP conservative agenda? John McCain was one of only 11 Republicans who supported me in my fight to kill the Bridge to Nowhere. Most Republicans were marching off the bridge we were trying to de-fund. What John McCain's record tells me is that we won't have to wait until the last year of his presidency to see him pick a fight with Congress over wasteful Washington spending. John McCain will declare war on pork - the gateway drug to spending addiction in Congress - on day one. There will be no earmarks for teapot museums, First Lady Libraries and taxpayer-funded hippie flashbacks in a McCain administration.
The new prescription drug entitlement our party leadership pushed on us was part of the GOP agenda but it wasn't part of the conservative agenda. John McCain had the foresight to vote against Medicare Part D, the largest entitlement expansion since Lyndon Johnson, when many Republicans were AWOL. John McCain believes Congress should keep the promises it has already made before making new promises it can't keep. He also has the most comprehensive and conservative health care reform plan of any candidate. John McCain will fight the government-run, universally-controlled health plans supported by Clinton and Obama with common sense, free-market principles that work.
Even if John McCain has taken some positions we don't like as conservative, I don't believe you can ignore the fact that he took many bold stands against the Big Government Republican agenda that destroyed our majority. When most Republicans were trying to build a governing majority through pork - and were growing the government faster than the Democrats who came before us - John McCain was pushing the party in the opposite direction on key issues.
Let me touch on some other issues.
On judges, I wouldn't have endorsed John McCain if I wasn't confident he will nominate judges like the ones he has voted to confirm in the Senate: Bork, Thomas, Roberts, Alito, Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown. I also know that he shares my desire to see the Senate approve conservative judges now.
On immigration, John McCain was trying to solve a problem which, incidentally, hasn't improved much. He listened and learned and decided the facts were on our side. He doesn't have a secret plan to enact blanket amnesty as president. And, if he did, he knows I'd kill it.
McCain-Feingold misdiagnosed the real problem as too much money to politicians rather than politicians whose votes are for sale. Even though I disagreed with McCain-Feingold, John McCain's desire to tackle corruption in the congressional neighborhood was correct. The source of Washington's corruption isn't K Street; it's Congress' lack of restraint, and John McCain has taken bold steps to tackle that problem at its source.
Still, I have to say that the concerns I hear about John McCain pale in comparison to the two greatest challenges facing our country - terrorism and a Congress that refuses to correct our unsustainable fiscal course. If we get all of those other issues right but those two issues wrong we won't survive as a nation. John McCain's record on the issues that are paramount to our future is a record conservatives can support. John McCain also has a conservative record on what is arguably the transcendent social issue of our time: the sanctity of life. He has been pro-life for 24 years and has record that matches his principles.
And, on national security, John McCain is by far the most qualified candidate on either side. He will meet not only the security challenges we know about but, more importantly, those we don't know about. Tyrants and terrorists will think twice about challenging the United States with John McCain in the White House.
Is John McCain perfect? No. Will we disagree with him sometimes? Yes. But, elections are about choices. I'd be happy to debate anyone who thinks staying home or supporting Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama is a better choice for our future than John McCain.
Now, I'd ask you to welcome the person who is best equipped to talk about his own record and vision for the future, the next President of the United State, John McCain.
Labels: Conservative Politial Action Committee, CPAC, John McCain, Tom Colburn
# posted by Cal Skinner : 6:04 PM
