Program Reform
Mayor White responded to the controversy and criticism by changing the rules of the program and the towing laws, including free towing for limited distances (one mile) funded by the city. Distances after the initial mile could then be set by the towing company. Improvements also included strict licensing of SafeClear wreckers including criminal background checks and requiring revenue generated from the program to enter a mobility fund instead of general city coffers. White also rode with a wrecker and conducted several studies of the program's effectiveness.
With a budget shortfall, Mayor Annise Parker changed the structure in 2011 in which a modest fee charged to the vehicle owner of $50.00 for a tow and $30.00 for roadside assistance. For those that are unable to pay at the point of service, storage fees will be applied after the first 48 hours in addition to the $50 towing charge.
Read more about this topic: Safe Clear Program, History
Famous quotes containing the words reform and/or program:
“Let us reform our schools, and we shall find little reform needed in our prisons.”
—John Ruskin (1819–1900)
“The blacksmith dropped his hammer, the carpenter his plane, the mason his trowel, the farmer his sickle, the baker his loaf, and the tapster his bottle. All were off for the mines, some on horses, some on carts, and some on crutches, and one went in a litter.”
—For the State of California, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)