Lacking state funds, Spokane will fund abandoned RV removal through September
Spokane will resume a contract to dispose of abandoned or disabled RVs littering the city’s streets, picking up the slack after a pause in reimbursements from the state.
The Spokane City Council on Monday night approved a $125,000 contract with Evergreen State Towing that will run through September, during which time the city will negotiate a longer-term contract. The council in December approved $350,000 for the entirety of the 2025-2026 budget for the purpose.
Previously, the city had relied upon a reimbursement program from the state that was put on pause last September.
Whenever an RV owner renews their tabs, they pay $6 into an abandoned RV disposal fund created in 2018. Since 2019, when cities request that a tow or wrecking company haul away an abandoned RV, that company has been able to request reimbursement from the state fund to pay for the costs.
This fund has been essential to removing the derelict vehicles, because unlike abandoned cars or most other types of vehicles, the costs of demolishing an RV that can’t be sold at auction significantly exceed whatever value can be recouped – typically in the range of $1,000-2,000, according to Spokane Police Department Sgt. Teresa Fuller. Before 2019, either the city would compensate tow companies, or else they would often refuse to respond to requests to have RVs removed, said Luis Garcia, director of Spokane’s code enforcement team.
But in mid-September, with little warning, new reimbursement requests were no longer being accepted. There’s still funding available, according to officials with the state Department of Licensing, but the Legislature needs to approve additional money from the fund to be used for reimbursements. The current state Legislative session is scheduled to end on April 27.
In the meantime, the city will provide its funding to address the backlog and act as a bridge until the state restarts its program, said Councilman Michael Cathcart.
“If there’s an opportunity for a reimbursement, great, but this is a high public safety priority we should pursue,” Cathcart said.
Cathcart and police officials have argued that abandoned RVs are not just an aesthetic issue, but they also act as drop points for drug deals, stolen goods, and other crimes.