COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH

OVERSIGHT DIVISION

FISCAL NOTE

L.R. No.:         3116-01

Bill No.:          HB 1525

Subject:           Law Enforcement: Towing, Emergencies

Type:              Original

Date:               April 7, 2008

Bill Summary:            Requires law enforcement departments to use rotation lists when using towing truck companies.

FISCAL SUMMARY

Numbers within parentheses: ( ) indicate costs or losses.

This fiscal note contains 5 pages.

☐ Estimated Total Net Effect on All funds expected to exceed $100,000 savings or (cost).

☐ Estimated Net Effect on General Revenue Fund expected to exceed $100,000 (cost).

FISCAL ANALYSIS

ASSUMPTION

Officials of the Department of Public Safety - State Highway Patrol assume no fiscal impact to the Patrol.

Officials of the St. Louis County Police Department assume they would have initial costs of $12,000 for computer programming for a computer aided dispatching system in the first year of implementation.

Officials of the City of Springfield - Police Department assume to initiate the rotation program would require staff time to develop, maintain, and to hear appeals concerning the tow list proposal. Officials estimate this cost at $5,000 to $10,000 annually. Officials assume there would be no tows for evidentiary storage which could cost the city as much as $100,000 annually. Officials stated they currently do competitive bidding for these services to control costs and quality of storage capacity.

Officials of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department assume they would realize costs of personnel required to write department policy, solicit tow companies to be on the rotation lists, evaluate each company’s eligibility to be on the list, implementation of the appeal/grievance procedure for companies excluded from the list. Officials assume these duties would be performed by administrative level personnel of the rank of Captain or Major. Officials estimate annual costs at $1,740.

Oversight assumes this proposal requires new duties of local government and would have costs. Oversight assumes costs on a statewide basis are indeterminable and will be shown as a negative unknown. Oversight assume costs would exceed $100,000 annually for local government law enforcement agencies.

FISCAL IMPACT - Small Business

No direct fiscal impact to small businesses would be expected as a result of this proposal.

FISCAL DESCRIPTION

This bill requires each law enforcement agency to establish a rotation list of towing truck companies to be called for removing disabled vehicles within a law enforcement agency's jurisdiction if the owner of the vehicle does not request a specific towing company. The criteria law enforcement must use to establish a rotational list are specified in the bill. Towing companies can be removed from the rotation list for violating a provision of the bill.

This legislation is not federally mandated, would not duplicate any other program and would not require additional capital improvements or rental space.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Department of Public Safety - State Highway Patrol

St. Louis County Police Department

City of Springfield - Police Department

Boone County Sheriff

NOT RESPONDING

Buchanan County Sheriff

Clark County Sheriff

Columbia Police Department

Greene County Sheriff

Independence Police Department

Jackson County Sheriff

Kansas City Police Department

Platte County Sheriff

City of St. Charles Police Department

St. Joseph Police Department

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department

                                                                                                Mickey Wilson, CPA

                                                                                                Director

                                                                                                April 7, 2008