Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts rotational‑tow ordinance changes, allows tow yards up to 1 mile outside Moreno Valley
Summary
After hearing operational data and testimony from local tow operators, the council approved an urgency ordinance updating the rotational tow program and will permit tow yards up to one mile beyond city limits for qualification; staff will reissue the RFP under the new rules.
The council on April 21 adopted a staff recommendation to revise the city’s rotational tow program and directed staff to issue a revised request for proposals using a one‑mile outside‑yard radius.
City Manager Brian Mohan and operational staff explained that the earlier RFP was descertified to allow reconsideration of the city‑limits requirement for tow‑yard locations. Staff presented a menu of options (1–5 mile radius) and described operational safeguards: minimum on‑site capacity (150 vehicles), response‑time standards and contractual enforcement provisions to remove non‑performing vendors.
Local tow providers and law‑enforcement contractors testified from the dais. Pepis Towing and Valleywide Towing told the council they consistently meet the city’s response‑time standard (police require a 20‑minute window; Pepis reported a 2025–26 average response of ~14–15 minutes) and warned that moving to farther yards could increase wait times and burdens on vehicle owners retrieving impounded vehicles. Other commenters asked for enforcement of predatory‑towing rules; the council heard accounts from residents alleging problematic towing practices and individual disputes.
Councilmembers balanced those operational concerns with a desire to secure more qualified providers and to protect response capacity as the city grows. After deliberation the council voted to adopt the ordinance changes and approved staff’s recommendation to allow tow yards up to one mile outside the city boundary when evaluating proposals; staff was directed to prepare and publish a revised RFP immediately. Council and staff emphasized that all bidders must meet the city’s yard, capacity and response requirements and that failure to meet contractual obligations would subject a vendor to removal from the rotation.
What happens next: staff will republish the RFP under the ordinance amendment, accept bidders under the one‑mile parameter, and execute up to five‑year rotational contracts; contract administration includes performance monitoring and removal for nonperformance.
