Milford Selectmen Eye Towing Rate Changes

Citizen complaints have prompted selectmen to consider restricting extra fees charged by towing companies used by town police.

When police need to have a vehicle towed, the vehicle's owner is always given the chance to choose a towing company, said Town Administrator Guy Scaife at Tuesday's Milford Board of Selectmen meeting. But when the owner is unavailable or has no preference, dispatchers call one of four area towing companies on a rotating basis, he said.

Hourly rates are comparable among the four companies, Scaife said, but recent citizen complaints have shown that one company charges a three-hour minimum for calls between midnight and 6 a.m.

Scaife said owners of three vehicles involved in one recent incident were charged different rates by towing companies called in by police, with one citizen being charged a three-hour minimum for the after-hours call.

"This complaint is about rates, not about quality of service or responsiveness. In fact, we get really good reports on the companies we use," Scaife said.

"I hate to see us get into regulating rates, but I can't think it's appropriate to subject the public to such a variance without them being able to say so, and frequently you have a vehicle owner who is incapacitated," he said.

Selectmen, too, said the discrepancies needed addressing.

"We have a responsibility to be equitable to everybody," said selectmen Vice Chairman Tim Finan. "Three people were charged three different rates, essentially by us. We don't have the responsibility of towing, but we're the ones that called the wrecker."

Chairman Gary Daniels suggested the town require standardized rates for those companies on the rotating call list.

"It's a business choice if they want to be partnered with the town, so I think we get to set the rules for what inclusion on that towing list will be," said Daniels Tuesday. "If the rates have to be comparable 24/7 to others on the list, that choice is left up to the owner as to whether to participate or not."

Police Chief Michael Viola said he was in contact with other police chiefs around the state, many of whom are dealing with similar problems.

"I got a lot of responses," he said. "It's an issue that a lot of towns are dealing with right now."

He said one town requires all participating towing companies to provide a list of fixed fees at the beginning of the year.

Selectmen made no decisions about the towing rates Tuesday and will take up the issue at an upcoming meeting.