As a long time Kirkland resident and supporter of Kirkland downtown businesses, I was astounded at what happened on a recent Saturday night when dining in downtown Kirkland.

It was a rainy evening and I decided to park in the unused Third Floor Fish Café parking lot as I know the restaurant has been closed since 2009 and the valet parking lot has since been unused. The lot was empty with the exception of another car.

After a pleasant meal at Milagro Cantina, I returned to my car at 8 p.m. to find my car had been towed. It’s true there are signs posted in the lot that only authorize permitted parking. Those signs have been there for the three years the restaurant has been closed.

The really outrageous part of this story is that it cost me $400 to recover my car from Mac Towing in Redmond. It appears the night security guard for the Fish Café building under renovation decided to have my car towed on a rainy Saturday night in an empty lot that no one had any intention of using.

I’m not sure which shocked me more – the decision made by a night security guard to tow a car from an empty unused parking lot or the $400 in fees to recover the car. I’ve looked at Kirkland and King County websites to try to determine who sets or regulates towing charges and can’t find any reference beyond the fact the Seattle City Council addressed the issue last year and set fees in the $150 range.

I realize the City of Kirkland is not responsible for the judgment call made by the night security guard but I would like to understand the city’s management of towing fees and how $400 is appropriate.

Sarah Anderson, Kirkland