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Ombudsman says APD contractor stopped charging $150 access fee after review of municipal code and outreach to law department
Summary
The Anchorage ombudsman's office told the Assembly Rules Committee on June 12 that an APD contractor had been charging a $150 upfront access fee to let owners retrieve personal belongings from municipally impounded vehicles but has stopped doing so after consultations with the Department of Law and APD contract administration.
The Anchorage ombudsman's office reported to the Assembly Rules Committee on June 12 that an APD contractor had been charging a $150 "access fee" to let owners retrieve personal property from vehicles impounded by the municipality, and the fee has been stopped after legal review and contract management outreach.
"It just seemed like an effort to squeeze money out of poor people," the ombudsman said when describing the widely reported consequences of vehicle-impound practices in earlier years. The ombudsman reminded the committee that, after a prior assembly code rewrite, the municipality intended to guarantee vehicle owners a one-time free access to retrieve personal property from impounded vehicles, whether impounded by municipal action or private-party tow.
The ombudsman's office said it had referred a constituent to code enforcement who was told they were not eligible for one-time free access; subsequent consultation with the Department of Law found that the code language as then written was interpreted as not applying to vehicles impounded under AMC 9.28 for major traffic offenses. The ombudsman's office followed with an investigative report and supported an ordinance — AO2024-77, introduced by Assembly Member Rivera in August 2024 — that clarified the code so the one-time free access applied to vehicles towed under AMC 9.28. The assembly passed the ordinance as amended on Sept. 10, 2024, the ombudsman said.
Earlier this year, the office learned an APD contractor had been charging an upfront $150 fee for owners to access their impounded vehicle and retrieve personal belongings. The ombudsman said it met with the Department of Law and APD's contract administrator to resolve the discrepancy. After those discussions, the contract administrator confirmed the contractor would stop charging the $150 fee for first-time access.
"So we work with the Department of Law and APD's contract administrator, and that contractor is no longer charging, that fee for the first time access," the ombudsman told the committee, adding the episode illustrated the need for follow-up after code changes are adopted to ensure implementation matches legislative intent.
The ombudsman also gave the committee an update on contacts: the office has recorded 375 constituent contacts so far this year and has about 12 open cases. The ombudsman urged follow-up when the assembly changes code to ensure intended protections reach residents.
No formal action was taken by the committee in response to the ombudsman's presentation; the report was delivered as an informational update.
