…a nearby community with a similar name dropped the program.  Sheffield Village Mayor Darlene Ondercin said, “We felt justified in charging out-of-town people…During the year in which the program was in effect, the village billed nearly $50,000, but collected only a tenth of that.”
   “It’s a PR nightmare,” the mayor said.  “It’s not really worth the time and trouble.”
—The Ohio Motorist by Tom Reed, April 2006

Cities and municipalities that have these fees under consideration or have them in place are difficult to continually monitor. The best source of information is city or municipal government offices. Contact the safety director, police or fire department, city council office or mayor to inquire if an ordinance permitting the practice of billing an auto insurance company for police or fire department services at an accident scene is under consideration or has been passed by local council or trustees.

Click here to start a local government office search. In the Business Search section, insert "mayor" under "Business Type" then complete your city and state fields.

If this is such a great idea, why not bill everyone involved in a crash? Why are fees limited to insured drivers who live in zip codes outside of city limits?