South Jacksonville Proposes Fees, Seeks to Recoup Impounded Vehicle Costs

South Jacksonville police are moving to change how the village handles costs for impounded vehicles after years of covering storage and upkeep without reimbursement. Chief Eric Hansell asked the village board on December 8 to draft an ordinance that would authorize a $50 administrative fee plus a $35 per day storage and maintenance fee for vehicles held by the department.

Hansell said the policy would align practice with what the department is legally permitted to do. "This is something we are allowed to do, that we haven't been doing," he said. "It's time for us to start recouping our expended money." Vehicles impounded by the South Jacksonville Police Department are maintained and stored by the department until they are returned, seized by court order, or sold at auction. Hansell noted a recent example of a vehicle impounded in September 2021 that was sold pursuant to a court order. "We just got rid of it last month after it was sold pursuant to a court order," he said. "In that time, we maintained it."

Under the current arrangement towing companies bill owners directly, and the department receives none of those towing fees. The proposed ordinance would allow the village to recover at least some of the municipal expense of storage and maintenance, and it is tied to a longer term goal of creating a proper impound lot. "My idea is to offset the cost to store and maintain the vehicles, and hopefully we can accrue enough to build an appropriate impound lot," Hansell said.

The request to allow impound fees comes as the village approved its 2026 tax levy with a 4.8 percent increase, just below the threshold that would require a Truth in Taxation hearing. Treasurer Mindy Olson described the increase as modest. "There is a lot that goes into what we get," she said. "This is a very minimal increase over last year's request. The increase just allows us to capture what we can capture."

Public safety maintenance needs also factored into the meeting after the board received a quote to replace a tornado warning siren for $41,605. Olson emphasized that replacement is being weighed against rising maintenance costs. "The current sirens all still work," Olson said. "However, they are costing a lot in maintenance at this time."

For residents the immediate consequence would be potential new out of pocket costs when reclaiming an impounded vehicle in South Jacksonville, in addition to any towing bills charged by private companies. The board will next consider drafting the ordinance language and the practical steps needed to implement any fee schedule, while budgetary pressures and public safety equipment maintenance remain part of village financial planning.