Tow operator urges council to avoid naming a single primary tow company

Nathan Kershner, representing Unlimited Towing of Marietta, spoke during public comment and asked Knightsborough council not to implement a policy naming a single primary tow company for Columbia Borough.

"My name is Nathan. I'm with Unlimited Towing out of Marietta, Pennsylvania," he told the council, listing volunteer work his company has done for the borough — toy donations, traffic control, and student backpack donations he said totaled more than $10,000 to the school district. Kershner described local response times of five to seven minutes during the day and eight to ten minutes in the evening and said his crews routinely wait for formal dispatch rather than self-deploying to scenes.

Kershner said some employees of an existing local tow company had arrived at scenes without being called and were directed by officers to leave; he said his company has not had complaints from police about its service and has sometimes waived fees for residents in hardship cases. He urged the council to consider officers' discretion in which tow company is called and to weigh the community service his firm and others provide before making a policy that designates a primary tow company.

Council responded that staff is preparing towing policy language and that staff could present the proposal in a work session if Holly (staff) chooses to do it that way. A resident later asked for a staff-led work session so the public could learn more about the proposed towing rules and the council said staff is creating the policy.

Kershner's comments were part of the public-comment period; no formal policy vote occurred at the meeting.