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Tow contracts to remain competitive Photo by Steve Johnson Roger Twedell, owner of Twedell's Automotive, is unhappy with the way the city of Medford is choosing contractors to tow impounded vehicles. Medford council tells smaller businesses to pull together By JIM DAVIS Small tow-truck operators in Medford will need to compete for a contract to tow impounded cars and trucks for the city, the Medford City Council decided Thursday. Councilman Curt Bennett said he wants to help small-business owners, but he said there is a fine line between helping and subsidizing. "I can't support the city subsidizing the small-businessman because he can't compete," Bennett said. "It's open competition. That's the world and that's Western civilization." Bennett and other council members encouraged the smaller operators to form a consortium to compete against the two larger businesses that now hold the contract, Dick's Wrecker Service and Star Towing. Roger Twedell, who owns Twedell's Towing and who is president of the Southern Oregon Tow Association, said the operators probably wouldn't form a consortium. "I doubt it because it won't work," Twedell said. "It won't work." The city uses a nine-company rotation system for tows from accidents and breakdowns when the owner of the car doesn't specify a preferred towing company. Last year, police said, 392 vehicles were towed under that system. The city contracts exclusively with Dick's and Star to tow cars of people who are cited for drunken driving, driving while suspended or driving without insurance or without a license. Last year, the city logged 1,743 of those calls. The three-year contract for tows of impounded vehicles expired in July and several of the smaller operators petitioned the city to open up those calls for all operators. The Medford Police Department resisted, however, saying such a move would cause an administrative headache. The City Council held an informational meeting on the issue last week and took the matter to a study session Thursday. At the study session, Police Chief Eric Mellgren brought in dispatchers and representatives of the Jackson County Sheriff' Office and the Oregon State Police. Several of those emergency-service workers said small operators had problems with record-keeping, and could be difficult to reach. The City Council then directed the police department to issue a "request for proposal." A request for a proposal means the department need not automatically select the lowest bidder, Mellgren said. Bennett said the city should eliminate its requirement that bidders need to be able to tow tractor-trailers. He said that requirement eliminated smaller operators in past selections. Councilman John Michaels suggested the city revisit the issue in a year. After the meeting, Twedell said it would be difficult to form a consortium. He said the smaller operators had proposed having their own dispatch service, but that idea was rejected by the police. He also said there would be problems between the operators. Twedell also objected to emergency service workers who said there were problems with small operators. He said he has a list of tow calls for the past month and he said small operators were unable to respond only twice. "We just get tired of them pointing at the little guy being the roughshod operation that's not up to snuff," Twedell said. "I feel that I run a first-class operation." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA