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Who's Cashing In On All The Snow Emergencies?

By Rachel Slavik, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The weekend snow emergency in Minneapolis and St. Paul proved costly for more than 1,600 people.

Since Saturday, anyone who could not find their vehicle, probably located it at the impound lot.  St. Paul is no longer under a snow emergency and it will end Monday at 8:00 p.m. in Minneapolis.

Two days after Christmas and those who spent some time at the impound lot have already lost the holiday spirit.

"Pretty pissed, man," said Mike Sanderson.

"It's going to cost about $180 to get it out of the impound lot and to pay the parking ticket," said Brian Mathys.

A $180 fee to get your vehicle back could turn anyone into a holiday Scrooge.

"Didn't know it was a snow emergency because there was no snow," said Sanderson.

Since November, more than 6,100 people have been towed and nearly 29,000 ticketed during the snow emergencies in Minneapolis.

"I think the city is making money on this," said Gary Chisolm, as he waited to pick up a friend's car.

In Minneapolis, each citation costs $42. The city says it keeps $24 to pay for meter maintenance and enforcement while the rest goes to the state.

"I understand why you tow cars so you can have places to park and cars can get through, but $180 seems a little ridiculous," said Mathys.

As for the tow $138 tow, depending on the contract, some tow companies get more than the $138 while others get less.

Winter parking restrictions resume in Minneapolis on Monday night through April 1. Vehicles cannot be parked on the even side of the street of non-snow emergency routes.

WCCO-TV's Rachel Slavik Reports

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