Councilmember Harry L. Thomas, Sr.
A PROPOSED
RESOLUTION IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
To declare the existence of an emergency, with respect to the need to
authorize the removal of abandoned or junk vehicles when the vehicles are parked on
public or private property with the property owner’s consent, to establish a towing fee of
$175 for large impounded vehicles, and to reduce the notice period before an abandoned
vehicle may be removed 24 hours when the vehicle does not display license plates assigned
to that vehicle may be removed to 24 hours when the vehicle does not display license
plates assigned that vehicle or do not have a Vehicle Identification Number.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the "Prohibition on Abandoned Vehicles Emergency
Declaration Resolution of 1998".
Sec. 2. (a) There exist an immediate crisis regarding abandon vehicles
and the immediate threat they create to the health safety and economic well being of the
District’s residents.
(b) These vehicles are attractive nuisances and are frequently safety
hazards that injure children who often play in or around them.
(c) Abandoned vehicles also invite scavengers who, in disassembling the
vehicles, create unsightly debris that affects the aesthetic appeal of neighborhoods which
has a negative impact upon property values and creates fire hazards.
(d) Debris and vehicles carcasses are unsanitary and become breeding
grounds for rodents, mosquitos, and other pest.
(e) Abandoned vehicles also provide places of concealment for
criminals, vagrants, and drunks.
(f) Further, these vehicles provide places to conceal criminal activity
including storage for drugs, guns, and other contraband.
(g) Immediate action must be taken in order to protect District
citizens from the adverse health and safety effects caused by abandoned vehicles.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the
circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it
necessary that the Prohibition on Abandoned Vehicles Emergency Amendment Act of 1998 be
adopted after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.