Subcommittee approves plan to solicit citywide police towing contracts

The Public Safety & Justice Subcommittee approved a staff recommendation Wednesday to issue a request for proposals for the city’s general police towing services, aiming to have new five‑year contracts in place by Jan. 1, 2027.

The recommendation responds to four existing zone contracts that cover the city’s tow zones and that are scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2026. Austin Soldano, deputy finance director, told the subcommittee the proposed solicitation would seek contracts covering the four towing zones — labeled A, B, C and D — with a base five‑year term and up to five one‑year extension options.

“General police towing services essentially entail law enforcement involved impounds that includes citizens involved with accidents, illegally parked or abandoned vehicles, and other law enforcement impounds including collection of evidence or removal of vehicles from crime scenes,” Deputy Finance Director Austin Soldano said during the presentation.

Soldano said the city expects a typical arrival time for tow companies of about 30 minutes from the time of call and that the police department’s vehicle impound unit was established in 2006 and is funded by the towing program. He told the subcommittee the impound unit includes 16 positions and that the city recovered more than $1,600,000 in FY 2023–24 from administrative fees and auction proceeds; FY 2024–25 has already exceeded $1,600,000, he said.

Vice Mayor Anne O’Brien and Chairman Robinson pressed staff to ensure vendor responsiveness is part of the evaluation. Robinson asked whether response time performance would be measured and considered; Soldano said central procurement could investigate offerors’ past records and include responsiveness in the capacity and experience evaluation criteria. Police Administrator Court Hood said late arrivals currently carry a contractual violation fee of $75 per incident.

The subcommittee approved a motion to proceed with issuance of a request for proposals; the motion passed unanimously.

Staff said the planned timeline allows for issuance of a solicitation in June 2025 with a target council approval in December 2025 and new contracts to begin Jan. 1, 2027, preserving a buffer for delays and transition.

Next steps listed by staff include finalizing evaluation criteria (capacity and experience, cost, and method of approach), confirming whether fees recouped by the towing program cover impound unit staffing costs, and drafting the solicitation documents for the central procurement division.