Plans to overhaul towing industry regulations have stalled as Baltimore County lawmakers work to calm the fears of company owners who say the proposal will run them out of business.
Touted as the removal of unfair barriers to minority entrepreneurs, legislation introduced in May by Councilman Ken Oliver, D-District, has twice been withdrawn from council consideration.
The proposal is expected to ease approvals of county towing licenses ? now limited to 33 ? by removing a requirement that new companies identify a “need” for additional services.
“They have proposed a very complicated transformation of a 30-year-old system which is working extremely well,” said Patrick Roddy, an attorney representing Baltimore County Organized Licensed Towers. “I think we have educated them as to the consequences of the things they were going to propose.”
County Executive Jim Smith is supporting the legislation, which Oliver is expected to reintroduce in September, county spokesman Don Mohler said. Part of the delay, he said, is to “simply” accommodate the summer schedules of each council member.
Oliver did not respond to a request for comment.
The county last introduced a towing license to Woodlawn-based Jordan?s Towing in 1999 ? the first in a decade ? but later revoked it after the county?s appellate board and later the state?s Court of Appeals determined the license was issued based on its minority owner and not need.
The original bill, which also required towing companies to keep hours on weekends and holidays and would name one company to handle all police-related calls, appeared riddled with kinks, officials said. Mike Field, a county attorney, described in a June 18 e-mail to several top officials a “final push” for passage.
Councilman Joe Bartenfelder, D-District 6, said lawmakers seem to agree some change is necessary.
“They?re just trying to work out some sort of compromise,” he said.
