Tow Company Takes On Local City Government
By: Erez Kanaan, Tow Squad News. Published on: Subscribe in a reader
Anderson Towing fights a new city ordinance to stay in business.
July 12, 2012 – Turlock, CA – A local tow company recently pleaded with the Turlock City Council to bypass a newly approved ordinance restriction city-contracted tows. The policy states that any tow company that operates for the city has to maintain a yard within three miles of city limits. Anderson Towing requested that the city grandfather them in to maintain their longstanding business relationship.
For years, Anderson has operated in nearby Ceres – about 10 miles away outside of Turlock proper. Owner Duane Thompson says if the ordinance is enforced, his company will go out of business and employees will lose their jobs. The company, he explains, can not afford to pay the additional $2500 per month needed to relocate their yard closer to the city.
“It’s basically a sledgehammer blow to the head,” he told the Modesto Bee. “If you guys don’t grandfather us in, we will go out of business.
The Bee also reports that some other area tow shops contracted by the city attended a meeting to support the new policy and its enforcement. They believe the city has previously provided Anderson with an unfair advantage for years, and that the new policy should be fairly applied to all shops. The other companies, they point out. have to pay the same costs for a yard within three miles of the city that Anderson Towing is now facing. Those in attendance felt the city council’s shift in policy was reasonable and overdue.
Mayor John Lazar did push the deadline for implementation from January to July. Anderson Towing has until the end of the month to move its yard within three miles of the city, or lose city business altogether. The ordinance still needs a second reading and final adaptation by the council, but insiders say the chances that anything will change with the policy are slim.
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