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Smithville staff recommends two-year towing contract and plans March RFP
Summary
The Police Chief recommended issuing an RFP for towing services with a two-year term and a possible one-year extension; staff plans to advertise in March and bring a contract back for approval in June.
Smithville police and city staff recommended the city pursue a two-year towing contract with the option of a one-year extension and plan to advertise the request for proposals in March.
The Police Chief told the work session the city is considering three main options: continue the current process (a three-year contract with two one-year extensions), implement a managed tow rotation, or shorten the contract term. "Staff's recommendation is gonna be to go with a process similar to what we've been doing, but to shorten the length of the term," the Chief said. "We tow, roughly 90 to 95 vehicles a year. These are primarily related to arrest and accidents."
The Chief said officers and supervisors told staff that a phone-based tow-app system offers little value for them in accident or arrest situations because "they're not gonna take their attention away from what's at hand." He said offers from a company identified as Arturo (formerly Auto Return) indicated the citys potential annual fees under a managed service would "not be over $10,000 annually," a figure the Chief relayed based on conversations with the vendor.
City staff also reported that, under the current contract, vehicle owners are charged $100 per tow and $40 per day for storage; staff said those owner-facing fees are not regulated by Arturo and would remain subject to city monitoring to prevent price gouging.
Staff outlined a timeline to advertise an RFP in March with a likely April deadline and an anticipated council award in June. The Chief said that schedule leaves four months on the current contract, which expires Oct. 31, allowing time to adjust if needed.
Councilmembers in the work session expressed support for the two-year RFP approach with a possible one-year extension. No formal roll-call vote was recorded; staff said they would proceed with an RFP process and return a recommended contract to the council for approval.
