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Council to revise tow-company code after operators’ meeting; changes to suspensions, inspections, and fee posting proposed
Summary
Police and code staff met with tow companies and proposed updates to suspension authority, fitness-for-license language, annual DOT inspections, itemized invoices, and fee-posting requirements; council gave consensus to pursue the revisions and directed staff to return redlines for legislative action.
Salisbury police and code staff presented proposed updates to the city’s tow-company ordinance on Feb. 10 following meetings with local tow operators.
Captain Phelps (Salisbury Police) and Chief Meinshine summarized recommended changes intended to tighten oversight and clarify expectations. Key proposals included: clarifying that the chief of police may suspend tow companies for violations and setting standards for repeated violations (including possible revocation); adjusting language about criminal convictions and eligibility to hold a city tow license so parole or probation terms are covered; accepting state Department of Transportation (DOT) annual inspections as the bulk of vehicle fitness checks while retaining a short city checklist for supplies and spill cleanup; and removing a requirement that tow companies maintain printed fee schedules on-scene, replacing it with a QR-code posting to reduce administrative burden.
Phelps said the department also wants explicit authority to establish additional labor or cleanup fees by ordinance and for the police department to retain discretion to approve or deny such charges on an incident-by-incident basis. Council members asked staff to add clarifying language that council sets fee rates but SPD will determine whether additional labor fees on a particular tow are justified before they are charged.
Council gave consensus to move the revisions forward and asked staff to return a redlined ordinance showing the agreed changes before the legislative vote. Police staff said they had met multiple times with local operators (33 tow companies are on the city list) and anticipated further meetings when the fee schedule is reviewed.
