Oklahoma City council strikes planned Zone 4 towing contract after heated public debate

Oklahoma City council removed a planned award for the Zone 4 record and impound contract after a daylong debate and multiple public comments about fairness, capacity and public-safety risk.

Staff presented a proposed amendment to the recommended award to Car Cab Record Service that would waive the first three miles of any tow into Zone 4 and require the vendor to certify it has 16 certified drivers before assuming full responsibility for the zone. Kalia Fisher, municipal counsel, outlined three legal issues raised during protests: whether one vendor may service two zones, whether that approach raises public-cost or response-time concerns, and whether the selected vendor could meet the city’s staffing and equipment minimums (the RFP standard is eight trucks and drivers per zone). Fisher said the city could add a contingency requiring certification of drivers before full assumption of Zone 4 service.

Business owners and towing industry representatives filled council chambers during public comment. Jason Martin, who said he owns property and has investments in a competing Zone 4 towing operation, argued the RFP (OCITY26408) contained mandatory language requiring a business and storage facility located in Zone 4 and said the recommended award to a vendor located outside the zone disadvantaged compliant bidders and raised operational and public-safety risks. He urged council to select a responsive bidder located in Zone 4 or re-run the procurement process. Other speakers, including Bert Woodring and the Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce’s Carlos Robinson, echoed concerns about local facilities, faster response times and fairness to in‑zone operators. Todd Reed, vice president of Car Cab Record Service, said Car Cab had been serving parts of the area for about a year and defended the firm’s performance and response times.

Councilmembers debated procedure and fairness. Some members said performance should carry weight in selecting vendors who already serve parts of the city; others argued the RFP language and city code gave preference to zone-based services and that awarding a contract that effectively amended the RFP post hoc would create poor optics and potential legal exposure. The council first voted 6–3 to adopt an amendment giving Car Cab until Jan. 30, 2026, to certify the required number of drivers and to implement the three‑mile waiver for Zone 4 to reduce the impact on residents (the contingency was added to the contract). Later, after additional motions, the council voted 8–1 to strike the item from the agenda and asked staff to return with clarified procurement language and next steps.

The city manager and legal staff said current service would continue under existing approved vendors until the issue is resolved and cautioned that restarting the procurement would require time. City staff also noted the selection committee had ranked the recommended vendor highest based on performance evidence, but staff acknowledged the need for clearer RFP language about location preferences and minimum responsiveness criteria.

The council’s action does not award the contract; instead it instructs staff to reconcile protest issues, confirm compliance with RFP requirements (including storage capacity and driver certification), and return with a revised recommendation. Council voted to strike the item rather than approve the contract as amended.