NB councillors Kent Lindgren, right, with Len Taylor, left, at council's meeting Monday. One of the items council looked at was administration's proposal related to municipal towing to clear a scene and vehicle impounds. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff) 

By Angela Brown

In the chambers

N.B. eyeing municipal towing service, developing impound lot

Aug 20, 2019 | 2:42 PM

The City of North Battleford is looking for a more efficient way to manage local towing.

Finance Director Steve Brown made a proposal at Monday’s council meeting to turn a vacant site at 602-114 St. into a municipal impound lot, which could become a revenue source for the city. The impound lot would be open for RCMP and municipal impounds in January 2020.

Administration recommended awarding a contract for the towing service to Lash-Berg Towing.

Brown said in his report one of two bids for the service was rejected as the proposal received was incomplete and, according to the city, didn’t meet the deadline.

However, council decided to table the issue after hearing from the owner of North Battleford’s Vista Towing, the company that wasn’t recommended.

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Dave Washburn asked council to postpone awarding the contract. He also submitted a petition to the city he said represents 97 business owners and questioned the city’s proposal for towing services for one firm.

“Whoever is willing to write the biggest cheque gets the most work, regardless of service or experience,” he said. “I will not pay one red cent of the kick-back to the city.”

Mayor Ryan Bater said following the meeting he doesn’t know what information the petition contains and the city clerk will need to review it.

“I think the thrust of the conversation is that council just wants more time to consider, and to engage the community,” the mayor said.

In response to a suggestion the city should stay out of this type of business, Bater said “it could be argued this wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the city and its taxpayers.”

He said if taxpayers did not fund law enforcement through the city’s Community Safety Officers and the RCMP, there would not be any impounding.

“To suggest that the city shouldn’t be involved at all in this activity, we’re already involved,” Bater said.

City Manager Randy Patrick expects the issue will come back to council Sept. 9.

He said any firm responding to a RFP must submit paperwork that is complete and on time. He said the city currently uses both Vista and Lash-Berg Towing.

Patrick said the way the process works is that the RCMP or Community Safety Officer will call for a tow to have a vehicle removed from a scene in question.

“The service basically remains the same, except we will be picking the single company we have a contract with, should that be agreed to by council,” he said of the proposed change.

Patrick said, as an example, if there are 500 cars a year that are towed, it will take on average half-an-hour per car waiting for the tow service. That would amount to 250 hours per year of either the RCMP or CSO officers’ time.

The city’s aim is to be more efficient and to find ways to create additional revenue.

“What we are trying to do is find a way to help with those costs,” Patrick said. “There is no decision from council at this point. Council hasn’t looked at it formally. We will have to wait until it comes back.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow