§ 11:295. Disposition of unclaimed vehicles.

(a)

Whenever any vehicle or bicycle belonging to a known person is not called for and the charges paid within three (3) days after notice provided in section 11:292, or whenever a vehicle or bicycle belonging to an unknown person is not claimed within ten (10) days after the notice is given as provided for in section 11:292, the chief of police shall insert an advertisement in the official journal of the city once a week for two (2) weeks, describing the vehicle or bicycle and giving the owner's name if known, setting forth the amount of removal and impounding and other costs due, and giving notice that unless all of such costs and charges including the costs of advertisement are paid and the vehicle or bicycle is removed by the owner within ten (10) days after the date of the last advertisement, it will be sold at public auction by the city constable.

(b)

After the advertisement has been published and the notice elapsed, if it has not been claimed and the cost and charges paid, the city constable shall advertise in the same paper that the vehicle or bicycle will be offered at public sale to the highest bidder for cash for not less than two-thirds of its appraised value, this advertisement to be published once and the sale to be made not less than ten (10) days nor more than fifteen (15) days from the date of this advertisement, which shall fix the time and place of the sale. At this time the constable shall have the vehicle or bicycle appraised in the manner that personal property is appraised for judicial sales, and shall then offer it at public auction on the terms as advertised. As alternate methods of disposing of unclaimed bicycles, the chief of police, in his sole discretion, may donate such bicycles to charitable organizations providing services to children, including but not limited to the Good Fellows Organization, and foster children in the care and custody of the state department of welfare by court order. Before any such unclaimed bicycle or bicycles shall be donated, as herein provided, the chief of police shall insert an advertisement in the official journal of the city once a week for two (2) weeks, describing the bicycle or bicycles to be so donated and giving the owner's name, if known; and further advising that such bicycles will be available for inspection during the period of advertisement, during which time any interested party, if he can identify any of such bicycles as his own, may claim same. The failure of the owner to claim any bicycles advertised for donation purposes, as herein provided, shall be conclusive proof that the bicycle has been abandoned to the city and the city may thereafter deal with same as the full owner thereof for the purposes herein provided.

(City Code 1951, Title 11, § 295)