The City of North Battleford approved an agreement for a municipal impound operation at its meeting Monday. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Business venture

City approves Lash-Berg Towing for municipal impound project in revenue-sharing venture

Sep 10, 2019 | 4:55 PM

After tabling the issue at their last meeting, North Battleford lawmakers decided Monday to enter into an agreement with Lash-Berg Towing to operate a municipal vehicle impound lot for the city.

The city will sign a five-year agreement with the Battleford firm as part of a revenue-sharing partnership.

We have vehicles that the city takes off the road. The city pays for law enforcement to [look after] that activity,” Mayor Ryan Bater said following the meeting.

He believes the project will be an efficient way to help generate more revenue for the city.

Vehicles will be towed and impounded as part of the agreement.

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Administration recommended Lash-Berg Towing for the project. The proposal from the contender, Vista Towing, was rejected as the proposal was incomplete and, according to the city, didn’t meet the deadline.

Vista Towing submitted two petitions at the prior meeting but city administration found one to be insufficient and not accepted, while the other was not deemed to be valid.

About two-thirds of those who provided signatures asked to have their names taken off the list.

“It wasn’t a valid petition but administrative [did] give it some attention,” the mayor said.

The contract details between the city and Lash-Berg still need to be negotiated. The mayor and city clerk are authorized to sign the agreement with the company once it is approved by the city manager.

The city impound lot will be located at 602-114 St. The city looked at costs as well as environmental issues when deciding on the site. It expects to complete preparations for the impound operation by Jan. 1, 2020.

Finance Director Steve Brown said in his report the RCMP and Community Safety Officers tow about 600 to 700 vehicles per year. As a result, the potential revenue generated from the towing and impound project is estimated to be from $75,000 to $100,000 per year.

The cost to set up the impound operation will be about $75,000 initially, with ongoing maintainance costs estimated at about $5,000 per year. The city is looking at potentially leasing the existing building on the site to Lash-Berg Towing, with revenue from this venture estimated to be from $20,000 to $30,000 per year.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @OCoureurDesBois