(A) Eligibility for police tow list.
(1) Each firm or company desiring to be included on the police tow list must furnish proof of financial responsibility, updated annually on an industry standard Certificate of Insurance. This must be in the form of insurance liability coverage in the minimum amount of $1,000,000 combined single limit for vehicle and general liability.
(2) Each insurance policy shall provide liability protection for direct physical damage to the vehicle in the custody and control of the towing/wrecking company in an amount not less than $50,000 per occurrence.
(3) Each insurance policy shall include the city, its elected and appointed officials, its employees, and all boards, commissions and committees working in the name of the city as a named additional insured, and shall contain a clause or endorsement to the effect that the city will be notified of any insurance coverage changes. Notification of any insurance coverage changes must be provided in writing by postal mail a minimum of ten business days in advance of cancellation or change of required insurance coverage. A faxed or electronic copy is not considered sufficient. Notification shall be sent to: City of Bowling Green, ATTN: Municipal Administrator, 304 North Church Street, Bowling Green, Ohio 43402.
(4) The tow company must agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the city and its officials and employees for all claims related to their operations, excepting only sole negligence of the city.
(5) Each firm must submit a copy of the PUCO Compliance Certificate, updated annually.
(6) Tow companies must maintain their business operation, including their tow lot, within five miles of the city's corporate boundary.
(B) Tow charge rates.
(1) The following pricing schedule represents maximum allowable charges and shall not be exceeded on regular police tows:
(a) Police tows - $129.00.
(b) If wrecker shows up but does not tow - $57.00.
(c) Storage per day - outside $17.00.
(d) Storage per day - inside $29.00.
Vehicles must be picked up between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight. Must have 24-hour recovery on “duty” days.
(2) Tow operator shall charge state sales tax based on above listed fees, payable by the owner/operator of the vehicle towed.
(3) No additional charges or surcharges of any kind are authorized for police tows.
(C) On-call period.
(1) Each towing firm will be on-call for a 24-hour period beginning at 7:00 a.m. daily.
(2) Each firm will be rotated according to its sequence on the list.
(D) Administrative provisions.
(1) The duty call list will be maintained by the Police Division.
(2) Each towing/wrecking company will be allocated one line on the list irrespective of the number of locations that company might have.
(3) Tow/wrecker operators who do not comply with division (A) will be removed from the list until deficiencies are corrected.
(4) In conjunction with § 72.62(C), the towing/wrecking company must remove any glass or other injurious substances, including liquids, dropped from a vehicle.
(5) Tow/wrecker operators who violate the provisions of division (B) herein or who are arrested for any crime involving property in their possession as a result of their tow/wrecker duties, or who are not available to accept tow requests by the Police on four or more occasions, or in a timely manner, within one year, or who disregard their duties to clean up sites in accordance with § 72.62(C), shall be subject to suspension or removal from the tow list for a period of time as determined by the Police Chief.
(Ord. 7775, passed 5-19-2008; Am. Ord. 8234, passed 2-19-2013; Am. Ord. 8706, passed 9-4-2018)