Butler brings concerns about abandoned vehicles to GCC

Alex Hargrave
Posted 7/24/20

Doug Butler, owner of Butler’s Auto Salvage

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Butler brings concerns about abandoned vehicles to GCC

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TORRINGTON – Doug Butler, owner of Butler’s Auto Salvage brought his concerns about abandoned vehicles in his lot to the Goshen County Commissioners meeting on July 21. 

Butler told commissioners his lot is filled with 28 abandoned vehicles, one of which has been there for 819 days. 

“What brings me here today is the excess of abandoned vehicles at my facility that we’re trying to get a resolve to,” Butler said. “The reimbursement for the towing and storage of vehicles, some funding is supposed to be applied for our services.”

Butler’s lot serves as an impound lot for the county, mostly for the Goshen County Sheriff’s Office. Butler said he’s happy to help out, but cars are coming to his lot and never leaving – and he’s not being reimbursed. 

Dave Rose, who works for Big Al’s Towing in Cheyenne and represents Wyoming Professional Towing Association as a division I board member, joined Butler in addressing the commissioners. Rose cited the abandoned vehicle fund, first established by the state legislature in 1991 and most recently revised in 2015, that reimburses towers for their services.

“The money comes from $1 off every vehicle title in the county,” Rose said. “When that abandoned vehicle fund reaches $1 for every person in that county, the rest of the money goes to the general fund.”

According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation, abandoned vehicles are considered such only after they are left on Wyoming private property or towed there by a towing company in excess of 30 consecutive days without the consent of the owner of the property. For the person in control of the property to obtain ownership rights to the abandoned vehicle, the legal owner must be identified by requesting a title and lien search from WYDOT.

Such a process costs him time and money, Butler said, as he is legally unable to remove cars without proper paperwork.

“We still continually want to help our community, help the state service department and police department remove the vehicles, but it’s not like garbage, it’s got to go somewhere,” Butler said. “Funding seems like it’s not there for it so you guys probably have to figure out what funding is available for this.”

Rose said in Laramie County where he works, he typically deals with anywhere between 25 and 30 abandoned vehicles monthly, while Butler might only see between eight and 10 per year, which creates less expense for the county. 

Butler’s is the only business in the area that provides these services, according to County Attorney Eric Boyer. 

“These guys are here, you know, being very polite and just trying to look after their businesses, which a large part of which is just to help with dangerous vehicles that are just left by the side of the road that no one else is dealing with in this county,” Boyer said. “My hope is we could sit down, understand what’s happened and come to an affordable solution to get everything up to date.”

Boyer said there are plans to designate an impound lot so these vehicles could be stored there instead of Butler’s in the future, which County Clerk Cindy Kenyon wrote a grant for. 

Kenyon said her office does not handle the abandoned vehicle fund, but the County Treasurer’s Office should, which is the case in Laramie County as well, according to Rose. 

County Chairman John Ellis said he was not aware of Butler’s situation.

“We need to look into this and find out exactly what the situation is,” Ellis said. “We will get to the bottom of it one way or another. It might take a little time but we will work on it.”

Boyer said if abandoned vehicles in Butler’s lot are to be sold eventually, details of whether they will be sold by Butler, the Sheriff’s Office or a combination of the two will have to be sorted out. 

“We just need to sit down and have a conversation and get this done,” Boyer said. “Like [Butler and Rose] have said, you know, it’s going to require some recompense on the part of the County.”