Members of the Baltimore County Council on Monday adopted sweeping changes to the tow-truck industry that they said will aid minority businesses and provide key consumer protections.
Under the new law, the county will contract with a third party to handle dispatching for all police-related towing jobs. The law also removes a requirement for new towing companies to identify a “need” for additional service before the county issues a towing permit ? which hasn?t happened in at least a decade, said Councilman Ken Oliver, a Randallstown Democrat who sponsored the legislation.
“This is something that should have been done years ago,” Oliver said.
The law is expected to increase the county?s pool of 33 towing companies, only one of which is black-owned. The contractor for the police towing, which will be selected during a competitive-bid process, will have discretion over which companies to subcontract and must propose an appeal process for companies denied subcontracts.
Councilman John Olszewski, a Dundalk Democrat, expressed concern that discretion could run several longtime towers ? many of whom testified against the bill during a public hearing last week ? out of business.
“If the contractor is putting in towers for no good reason, we will be able to take a look at it,” Olszewski said. “If everything is running smoothly, I don?t see why we have to change things.”
Council Chairman Sam Moxley, a Catonsville Democrat, was the only council member to vote against the bill.
Opponents included a coalition of Baltimore County tow-company owners, who said an unlimited number of companies could flood the market, reducing profits. They also said a contracted dispatcher will confuse responses to crash scenes and said the dispatch fee will be passed on to consumers.
