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Council grants general business license to long‑operating tow firm; debate continues over oversight and tow‑for‑town vetting
Summary
The council approved a consent agenda that included issuing a general business license to Jess Auto and Sons Towing, prompting public questions about state tow permits, enforcement of secure‑yard and insurance requirements, and whether existing operators should meet new standards applied to new businesses.
The Foster Town Council approved its consent agenda, which included issuing a general business license to Jess Auto and Sons Towing, a business operating in town under that or similar names since at least 2020, according to town records discussed during the meeting.
Town staff told the council the business had paid taxes and operated at a Danielson Pike address under the towing name since 2020 and therefore qualified for the general business license category the town recently created for long‑standing nonconforming businesses. "Based on research...we do have records that they were already in town paying taxes as a towing business," a town staff member said.
Several council members and residents raised enforcement questions: does a general business license allow the company to tow for the town, and what protocols govern tow operators who work for police or for the municipality? The police chief explained that towing for the town typically requires additional vetting: employee background checks, proof of insurance, and a secured storage yard. "I ran the towing end of the state police...there were certain things that had to be in place for each facility...the size of the yard being secured," the chief said, arguing those standards protect against crimes such as burglary and theft from towed vehicles.
Council discussion clarified that the business license granted by the consent agenda is not a separate municipal tow authorization; towing for the town requires additional steps (state PUC approval and local vetting if the town uses the company on its tow list). One council member described the new license as a way to identify existing operations and collect revenue: "We're licensing the business...we only got to deal with Joe or for Joe because he's bringing a new business into town," the member said.
The meeting record shows the council accepted the consent agenda by voice vote. The council did not adopt any new municipal tow standards at this meeting, but members asked staff to track compliance and to apply the same standards to any operator who seeks to tow for the town in the future.
