Towing company asks Whitehall to raise tow and storage rates, proposes stricter standards for city contract operators

Jim Schreiner, owner of Broad & James Towing, told the Whitehall City Council on May 7 that the company has not raised tow and impound storage rates since February 2015 and asked the city to update its fee schedule and set minimum standards for firms that tow vehicles for the city.

Schreiner said inflation and rising operating costs have sharply increased the industry’s expenses. “Towing and impounding storage rates need to be adjusted to offset this historic period of rapid inflation,” he said, and provided examples such as higher fuel, tire and insurance costs and a recent $40,000 price increase for a tow truck.

He proposed a three-tier rate structure based on gross vehicle weight (GVW): $207 tow and $29 per day storage for vehicles 10,000 pounds GVW or less; $400 tow and $39 per day storage for vehicles 10,001–26,000 pounds GVW; and $500 tow and $58 per day storage for vehicles over 26,000 pounds GVW. Schreiner also asked for an automatic annual CPI adjustment going forward and suggested “extra charges should be considered for electric vehicles due to the increased training needed, and the extra risk involved.”

Schreiner described operational standards he would like the city to require of companies that provide tows to Whitehall Police: an office and storage lot within three miles of city limits, at least five years in business, a lighted lot with a minimum six-foot fence and space for about 100 vehicles, availability of three trucks (including at least one light-duty wrecker, one rollback and one 16-ton wrecker), workers’ compensation, a minimum $1,000,000 liability insurance with on-hook coverage, compliance with PUCO requirements, an 80% acceptance rate of calls, and a maximum average ETA of 20 minutes per call each month.

Schreiner also told council that roughly one in three impounded vehicles are never retrieved by owners and that proceeds from scrapping abandoned vehicles rarely cover tow and storage costs. He supplied comparative tow rates used by nearby jurisdictions, citing $211.42 in Gahanna, $211 in Reynoldsburg and $170.50 (plus a $40.92 administration fee) for Franklin County Sheriff tows as context for his requested increase.

Council members asked procedural questions but took no formal vote. Schreiner said he left documentation and business cards for council and staff and answered follow-up questions; council members said they will discuss the proposal in committee at a future meeting. No ordinance or contract change was introduced at the meeting.

Why it matters: any change to the city’s tow and impound schedule or minimum contractor standards would affect vehicle owners, towing companies that serve Whitehall Police and city procurement for emergency response services.

Next steps: council members said they would review the materials and address the matter at the appropriate committee meeting; Schreiner offered to provide additional documents to staff and to meet with council members off-line.