(A) Opportunity for hearing.
(1) The owner or person entitled to possession of a vehicle to be towed as an abandoned vehicle shall have seven days, after the date of mailing or personal delivery of the notice, to request, in writing, a pre-tow hearing.
(2) Subsequent to this seven-day period, the vehicle may be towed if the owner has not filed a written hearing request within the seven-day period, and any hearing rights under this chapter will be deemed waived.
(B) Scheduling of hearing. The pre-tow hearing shall be scheduled for a date within 14 days of the mailing or personal delivery of the pre-tow notice. The city shall not be required to delay towing longer than the 14-day period.
(C) Request for hearing.
(1) A request for a pre-tow hearing shall be made in person to the office indicated on the notice.
(2) A request for a hearing by a person who resides more than 50 miles from the city may be made by mail.
(3) Forms for the requests shall be made available by the Police Department.
(4) At the time of making the request, the owner will be provided a hearing date and time, by mail or in person, as the circumstances require.
(D) Appointment of Hearing Officer.
(1) The city shall choose an officer or employee of the city to serve as Hearing Officer.
(2) In no case shall a Hearing Officer be an individual who was involved in the initial decision to tow the vehicle.
(3) The Hearing Officer shall have the opportunity to require the presence of the enforcement officer who initiated the proposed tow or any other city personnel.
(E) Nature of hearing.
(1) The hearing shall be informal in nature and the rules of evidence shall not apply.
(2) The hearing will not be determinative of, or adjudicate, any citation relative to any vehicle.
(3) After receiving all relevant evidence, the Hearing Officer shall render a written decision based upon a preponderance of the evidence as to whether towing of the vehicle is authorized by the laws of the state or the ordinances of the city, with a specific statutory or ordinance section cited in the decision.
(4) The owner shall be provided a copy of the pre-tow hearing decision.
(F) Decision to tow; rates to be charged.
(1) If a preponderance of the evidence supports towing and compliance with this chapter, the Hearing Officer shall direct that the vehicle be towed, with any towing and storage costs to then be imposed upon the owner thereof.
(2) The fees to be charged for towing and storage services shall be not more than the maximum rates set by the Chief of Police pursuant to § 74.05(E) below.
(3) The owner of the vehicle, having had such a hearing, may avoid the towing by immediately removing the vehicle from the improper location to a lawful location and correcting any unlawful conditions of the vehicle.
(G) Decision not to tow.
(1) If a preponderance of the evidence fails to support the towing of a vehicle, the Hearing Officer shall direct that the vehicle not be towed.
(2) The city shall furnish a copy of the decision to the owner, who may place it inside the vehicle in a location plainly visible from the outside, such as on the dashboard or inside the rear window.
(3) No vehicle about which such a decision has been rendered shall be towed by the city, unless the circumstances under which the decision was rendered have changed.
(4) If at some subsequent time the municipality should wish to tow the vehicle from the same location, it shall follow the same procedures required for the towing of any other similarly situated vehicle.
(H) Retention of reports and documents; contesting decisions. All original and copies of notices, pre-tow hearing decisions, towing reports and any associated police reports or documents shall be retained by the Police Department for a period of at least five years after each hearing, or after each tow if no hearing was requested or held. The city or the owner may contest the decision of the Hearing Officer in any manner provided by law.
(2000 Code, § 10.36.040)