A new ordinance could make the costs of choosing to drink and drive even higher.
Under the ordinance, which hasn’t yet passed, people arrested for drunken driving, reckless driving, driving without a license, or leaving the scene of an accident could pay up to $1,000 to reimburse police and any fire and rescue services that respond to the incident.
The fine would be $250 per entity that responds, but cannot exceed $1,000 in total.
According to Mary Biggs, Montgomery County Supervisor, the Virginia General Assembly recently passed legislation that gave localities the authority to decide whether to enact the ordinance.
Marty McMahon, County Attorney, said the ordinance is already in place in Roanoke and Lynchburg.
The issue was first on the agenda at a Montgomery County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday night, June 28, and the Board will go over it again at its next meeting on Monday, July 12.
“We thought it would be a good way to generate revenue,” said Biggs.
At Monday’s meeting, Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Whitt came forward to show his support for the new ordinance.
“What we really need to focus on is that this is not anyone who has a wreck or anyone who needs fire and rescue. It’s simple dealing with those folks who continue to operate after they’ve been convicted of a DUI, after they’ve had a suspended operating license, or a couple of other instances that are named within the code that gives the county the authority to go back and get some reimbursement for the fire departments, for the rescue squads that are continually responding to many of the same people who continue to be the nuisance of the highway,” Whitt said.
He pointed out that though the $250 fine is not huge, the money could certainly add up and help these services, especially the fire and rescue services that rely largely on volunteers.
“I would encourage the Board to move forward, and I would hope the town of Christiansburg and the town of Blacksburg will follow Montgomery County’s lead on this,” Whitt said.
If the Board chooses to enact the ordinance, it would only apply within the county, not within the town limits of Blacksburg or Christiansburg.
However McMahon said both towns are also considering enacting the ordinance.
“I know Blacksburg is for sure going to consider it. Christiansburg, we asked them to, but we haven’t heard back from them yet,” he said.
According to Captain Vince Houston of the Virginia Tech Police, though Tech Police and Blacksburg Police share some jurisdiction downtown, Tech is separate from the town and the county.
“Tech doesn’t fall under either one,” Houston said. “The new ordinance would not affect Tech Police or Tech Rescue.”
“If they call us for help, we go, if we call them for help, they go,” he explained.
As for how the money collected from drunken drivers would be handled, that is still up to some debate.
“We would ask the court to order restitution as a means of getting the reimbursement and the fire and rescue squads would be paid directly through that reimbursement, whoever responds, and the Sheriff’s Office would be paid through the county,” Whitt said. “It’s going to take a lot of coordination, but we think we can do it.”
