Ordinance No. 8130213%
ORDINANCE N0._ ?S —1-
AN ORDINANCE DIRECTING REMOVAL AND IMPOUNDING OF MOTOR VEHICLES WHEN
FOUND IN PUBLIC PIACES; PROVIDING A LIEN THEREOF AND SALE TO SATISFY
LIEN AND REDEMPTION BEFORE AND AFTER SALE; PROVIDING FOR THE NOTICE OF
SALE; POSTING AND ADVERTISING THEREOF AND NOTICE BY REGISTERED MAIL TO
OWNERS OF MOTOR VEHICLES; PRESCRIBING PROCEDURE FOR SALE; DISPOSITION
OF PROCEEDS; DIRECTING THE SALE AND DISPOSAL OF PROCEEDS ON MOTOR
VEHICLES WHEN NO BIDS ARE MADE THEREON; KEEPING RECORDS; EXCEPTING SALE
OF OTHER ABANDONED PROPERTY IN POSSESSION BY THE CITY OF BAYTOWN; REPEAL-
ING ORDINANCES INCONSISTENT HEREWITH; CONTAINING A SAVINGS CLAUSE AND
PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE THEREOF.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RAYTOWN:
Section 1: Any police officer of the Baytown Police Department is hereby
authorized to provide for the removal of a vehicle from a street to the police
pound under the circumstances hereinafter enumerated:
1. When any vehicle is left unattended upon any bridge, viaduct, or
causeway, or in any tube or tunnel where such vehicle constitutes
an obstruction to traffic;
2. When any vehicle is illegally parked so as to block the entrance
to any private driveway and it is impracticable to move such
vehicle from in front of the driveway to another point on the
highway;
3. When any vehicle is found upon a street and report has previously
been made that such vehicle has been stolen or complaint has been
filed and a warrant thereon issued charging that such vehicle has
been embezzled;
4. When any such officer has reasonable grounds to believe that any
vehicle has been abandoned;
5. When a vehicle upon a street is so disabled that its normal
operation is impossible or impractical and the person or persons
in charge of the vehicle are incapacitated by reason of physical
injury or other reason to such an extent as to be unable to pro-
vide for its removal or custody, or are not in the immediate
vicinity of the disabled vehicle;
6. When an officer arrests any person driving or in control of a
vehicle for an alleged offense and such officer, is, by this code
or otherwise, required to take the person arrested immediately
before the recorder;
7. When any vehicle is illegally parked in violation of any ordinance
of the City and of the laws of the State not provided for in this
section.
Any police officer of the police department is hereby authorized to pro-
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vide for the removal of any vehicle parked or standing or on any portion of a
highway when, in his opinion, the same constitutes a hazard, or interferes with a
normal function of a governmental agency, or by reason of any catastrophe, emergency
or unusual circumstance the safety of said vehicle is imperiled.
It is hereby expressly provided that a tinotor vehicle, properly registered
and legally parked on a public thoroughfare, shall not be removed except at the
request of its registered owner or his agent, the City Manager, Chief of Police
or Assistant Chief of Police.
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Section 2: If a vehicle is found improperly parked, as set forth above,
upon a public roadway so as to create only a minor traffic hazard, the vehicle
shall be irnnediately issued a traffic violation citation for the violation and
an effort shall be made to determine the owner of such vehicle and advise him
that the vehicle constitutes a traffic hazard and must be removed within one (1)
hour. Such action is necessary only when a vehicle is creating a minor hazard to
traffic safety. The Dispatcher on duty shall make a report entry.of the improper-
ly parked vehicle along with the notification time and date to owner. If the
vehicle is not removed within the prescribed one hour period and remains unat�e.:d
t.-:e officer on duty shall take necessary action to have vehicle towed away to
storaQa, using the :
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attendant shall deliver such motor vehicle to the owner thereof. The owner
thereof shall execute a receipt therefor, which receipt shall be made on a form
prepared and furnished by the Chief of Police and such attendant shall issue to
the owner a receipt for the towing fee and the storage fee so collected.
All funds collected by the compound attendant for the towage and storage
charges shall be delivered to the City's Finance Director once a week or so often
as directed by the City Manager.
The payment of the towing charge and the storage fee shall not constitute
a waiver or dismissal of any fine or fines due, if any, for any ordinance or law
violated by reason of the unlawful parking of a motor vehicle as herein specified.
Section 6: Any motor vehicle stored at the compound for a period of sixty
days, the owner of which, whether know or not known, having failed or refused
within such time to claim or reclaim such motor vehicle, shall be sold to satisfy
the towage and storage lien.
After a motor vehicle has been stored at the compound for a period of
sixty days, the Chief of Police shall prepare a list of all such motor vehicles
so stored, giving the make, model, type, body style and other details and shall
deliver said list to the Director of Finance of the City. All sales of such
motor vehicles shall be conducted under the supervision and direction of the
Director of Finance of the City.
The Director of Finance shall give fifteen days' notice of the time and
the place of the sale of such motor vehicles and a descriptive list of same to be
offered for sale by posting such notice of sale at the City Hall and at two other
public places in Harris County, Texas, and a copy of such notice shall be sent by
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registered mail to the last known address of each owner of such vehicle so listed
on the notice of sale, in the event the name of the owner is known to the Director
of Finance, or such name can be ascertained by him by the exercise of reasonable
diligence. At the time and place so stated in such notice, each motor vehicle
shall be offered for sale and the Director of Finance shall accept the highest bid
for said motor vehicle. Each motor vehicle shall be sold separately.
Section 7: Upon payment by the highest bidder to the Director of Finance,
the amount so bid for such motor vehicle, the Director shall deliver to such highest
bidder such motor vehicle, together with a bill of sale therefor executed by such
Director in the name of the City. All fees, transfer taxes and other charges for
securing a certificate of title shall be paid by the purchaser.
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Section 8: The Director of Finance shall keep an accurate record of
each motor vehicle sold, the name and address of the purchaser, the price paid
therefor, the date of sale and such other information deemed necessary by the
City Manager. The Director of Finance shall make a complete report, in writing,
to the City Manager of the time, place and manner of conducting such sale and all
funds from the sale of each motor vehicle shall be delivered to the Finance
Director who shall give his receipt therefor.
Section 9: Out of the proceeds from the sale of each motor vehicle, the
City Manager shall first apply such proceeds to the towage and storage lien of
the City, which sum shall be placed to the credit of the general fund and shall
thereafter be disbursed as the City Council of the City shall determine and direct.
Section 10: Any motor vehicle which has been offered for sale and no bid
having been received therefor shall be disposed of by the Finance Director in such
a manner as he deems advisable and all such motor vehicles so disposed of in such
manner shall be reported to the City Manager, in writing, together with the
amount received therefor and the date and manner of such disposition.
Section 11: Repealing Clause: All ordinances or parts of ordinances
inconsistent with the terms of this ordinance are hereby repealed; provided,
however, that such repeal shall be only to the extent of such inconsistency, and
in all other respects this ordinance shall be cumulative of other ordinances
regulating and governing the subject matter covered by this ordinance.
Section 12: Savings Clause: If any provision, exception, section, sub-
section, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this ordinance or the application
of same to any person or set of circumstances, shall for any reason be held uncon-
stitutional, void or invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the validity of the
remaining provisions of this ordinance or their application to other persons or
sets of circumstances, and to this end all provisions of this ordinance are declared
to be severable.
Section 13: Effective Date: This ordinance shall take effect from and
after its passage by the City Council of the City of Baytown.
INTRODUCED, READ and PASSED by the affirmative vote of a majority of the
City Council of the City of Baytown, on this 2 day of 3uly, 1966.
ATTEST:
Seaboreftavey, Ma
ti
Edna Oliver, City Clerk
Al P OVED:
George a -1e'rN C!.,-v Attorner