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Sheriff asks supervisors to consider a towing advisory board after complaints about high fees
Summary
Amherst County Sheriff requested the board form a towing advisory board to set criteria and recommended rates for law‑enforcement‑initiated tows after residents reported allegedly excessive charges; the board asked the county attorney to provide sample bylaws and policies from other localities and took no formal action.
Amherst County Sheriff Aris urged the Board of Supervisors on March 17 to establish a towing advisory board after receiving complaints that some rotation-listed tow companies charged excessive fees for law-enforcement-initiated tows.
The sheriff described recent calls from residents and insurance agents reporting what he characterized as "astronomical" bills—an example given in the meeting record described a charge of about $120 to retrieve personal property and open gates. "We have reached a point now to have a committee set up as a tow board that deals with all this, sets the rates, does whatever needs to be done per the Code of Virginia," the sheriff said, asking the board to consider an advisory body to set criteria, fee schedules and oversight for the county’s rotation list used by deputies.
Supervisors discussed the detailed scope such a board would need—whether it should set rates by mileage and service type (e.g., simple tow vs. heavy recovery), how rotation lists would operate, and how to avoid creating monopoly or private-rate controls that conflict with consumer choice. Several supervisors said the advisory board should include representatives from law enforcement and the towing industry and should only recommend fees and standards to the governing body rather than unilaterally fixing prices.
Towing industry representatives spoke during citizen comment, urging caution about local rate-setting. George Stanley of Smiley’s Towing said the state has a towing board and a local complaint mechanism and warned that regulating an operator’s fees locally could be complex and unfair to operators who face higher costs for emergency recoveries and night calls.
Rather than acting at the meeting, the board asked the county attorney and staff to compile examples of towing-board bylaws, fee schedules and practices from other localities and return with recommended membership, scope and bylaws at a future meeting. The board also invited towing operators to speak during the citizen-comment period to outline industry concerns and best practices.
No ordinance or advisory board was created at the meeting; the record shows a direction to staff to collect sample policies and report back.
