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otherwise, prohibit the parking of vehicles, both commercial and recreational, that are greater than 20 feet in length. Councilmember McGovern said she considered the City's amended fees for abandoned vehicles to be too low, noted that other cities charge as much as $450 and she felt the fine should be stiff enough to cover any procedural and towing expenses. Mr. Roush stated that nothing would preclude the Council from raising any of these fees. Mr. Fialho stated that the Council adopted a fee policy in the mid -1990s which describes the intent to determine fees that meet the cost of enforcement and are high enough to discourage repeat offenses. Councilmember McGovern noted that the same fee applies to abandoned vehicles on both public and private property. She recommended amending both fees to a minimum of $235, which would be equal to what is charged by the City of Livermore. She questioned if that amount would cover administrative and towing costs. Chief Fraser explained that the City is not responsible for any fees associated with towing; those fees are added to the registered owner's lien amount. Councilmember McGovern said it is often necessary for code enforcement officers to ticket these vehicles more than once. If the fee were raised as suggested, it may cover the City's cost and encourage more responsible behavior in the future. Councilmember Sullivan asked how the difference between an abandoned vehicle and one parked for over 72 hours is determined. Chief Fraser said that the physical condition and surroundings of the vehicle are considered and courtesy citations are employed to induce the owner to move the vehicle. Councilmember Sullivan confirmed that both public and private violations carry a fine and cautioned against getting overzealous about what one does on their own property. Chief Fraser explained that action is typically taken as a result of neighbors' complaints. Mr. Fialho stated that staff first makes contact with the resident and encourages them to resolve the situation before a ticket is issued. Vice -Mayor Cook- Kallio said that $150 to have an abandoned vehicle towed away could be considered a deal for its owner. She asked how the fines are collected in the instance that a car has been sold several times and has an unclear title. She favored making the fine stiff enough to discourage future infractions and asked how successful staff is at collecting these fines. Mr. Roush said that, while staff may be unable to collect on the fine per say, a hold is placed upon the registered owner's license. He said that matter is usually resolved during court proceedings on unrelated matters. Councilmember McGovern said she understood that tickets for using a cell phone while driving where based on a minimum state fine that local agencies can then add additional fines to. She asked what Pleasanton's fee is. Mr. Roush explained that the fine is a minimum of $83. Chief Fraser clarified that different counties have different fee schedules; the minimum mentioned by Mr. Roush is a county court fee. Mayor Hosterman noted there were no speakers on this item. City Council Minutes Page 6 of 7 September 15, 2009