Snow Tow No Go

By Prescott Carlson in News on Feb 18, 2009 8:00PM

If you've recently woken up in a panic realizing you parked on a snow route the night before and expected your car had been towed only to find out it was still there, you can thank the current Chicago budget shortfall for saving you a trip to the pound. Towing is running at half the pace compared to last year because the ones who get the tow trucks rolling -- the field vehicle investigators -- were cut back in last October's job cuts. It's actually pretty amazing towing hasn't been reduced further since only 4 of the previous group of 31 full-time investigators remain, and only 5 of 10 positions for seasonal snow tow work have been filled -- by some of the laid-off investigators.

But in laying off field investigators, did the City Council kill the golden goose? When facing a budget deficit of almost a half billion dollars, cutting people that generate revenue for the city seems rather, well, stupid. Especially since the investigators don't raise chump change -- in a letter sent to alderman last fall pleading to restore their jobs, "field vehicle investigators argued that they generated $27.2 million in annual revenue, nearly $1 million per investigator." And to make matters worse, Laborers Union Local 1001 business manager Lou Phillips says the city even botched the hiring of the positions they could afford:

"In previous years, when asphalt helpers were laid off in December, they were moved directly to Streets and San as field vehicle investigators. That wasn't done this year. They didn't follow up," Phillips said.

Too bad we're not pursuing the Winter Olympics instead of the summer games; perhaps then snow routes and winter towing would have been a higher priority.

Photo by runjenrun01