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Council amends towing contract to exclude Phil's after residents and council cite predatory practices
Summary
The Finance Committee amended and adopted a resolution to authorize vehicle towing and storage services while removing Phil's Towing from eligibility after residents and council members described predatory towing, cash-only payments and overcharging; staff said procurement rules and vendor lot capacity shaped the final amendment.
The Troy City Council Finance Committee amended and approved a contract for vehicle towing and storage services after residents and council members raised complaints about Phil's Towing.
During public comment, Frances of South Troy said she was alarmed that a special meeting was called to approve more than $6 million days before a new council takes office, calling the timing 'sketchy.' Frankie, also from South Troy, urged the council to seek more public input on the Freer Park pavilion and to avoid rushing contracts. Several residents and council members then focused on the towing resolution, saying Phil's had behaved professionally and financially in ways that harmed residents.
Council member Brosnan recounted multiple personal incidents and told colleagues 'it's $500 when Phil's tows you,' characterizing the company's practice as predatory and urging the city to put out a new RFP. Council discussion raised several operational questions: whether vendors accept credit cards, whether tickets and tow initiations are time-stamped, and whether storage lots meet capacity needs for northern sections of the city.
City staff responded that towing is initiated after a city-issued ticket and that parking-enforcement supervisors maintain records including license plates and time-stamped photos. Staff said RFP terms can require vendors to accept major credit cards and that the city can request vendors to follow the municipal fee schedule. Staff also cautioned that changing vendors could affect response times and efficiency because current contracts are timed to ensure coverage across zones.
Council member Kiel moved to amend the resolution to remove Phil's from consideration; the amendment was seconded and discussed at length. Council members and staff discussed backup vendors (named in the meeting as 'Essentials' and 'Avans' in the conversation) and noted that some vendors' lots are smaller and used as backups. After debate, the council adopted the amendment and then adopted the amended resolution authorizing towing and storage services without Phil's.
The committee recorded the amended towing resolution as adopted. Staff said the city will follow up with vendors to ensure fee schedules are enforced, will consider changes to the dispute process and will look into clearer signage and outreach to make the public aware of appeal rights.
What happens next: the administration will implement the amended procurement terms described in the resolution, follow up with parking enforcement about record sharing and consider public-facing changes (signage and dispute-process information) requested by residents.
