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Council battles over towing-RFQ process, agrees mayor will finalize and publish the RFQ
Summary
Council members debated a draft RFQ for towing services; after criticism over process and claims that council members contacted vendors, the mayor agreed to consolidate inputs, have legal review and publish the RFQ from the administration.
A long debate over a draft request for qualifications (RFQ) for towing services ended with the council voting to send the council’s draft to the mayor’s office for finalization and publication.
Councilwoman Witten (S7) presented a draft based in part on a 2016 RFP; Councilwoman Brandon (S4) criticized bringing a council‑prepared RFQ to the dais and questioned whether the purchasing department and work group process had been followed. "I think this has come to us before council is highly improper," Brandon said, arguing the council should rely on the purchasing department for RFQ preparation. Witten and supporters said the draft drew on prior work and local benchmarking.
Mayor Wooley (S8) said he would combine inputs from both council versions, have legal review by City Attorney Plato (S9), and place the administration’s RFQ with purchasing within days. The council voted to submit the council-drafted RFQ to the mayor's office for consideration and publication; the mayor committed to an internal review and to publish the RFQ in short order. Residents at the meeting urged caution, citing past lawsuits and the long interval since the last rebid of the contract.
