Arlington County Board members had hoped to get revisions to the county’s towing ordinance in the rear-view mirror this week.
But it was not to be, as the Board voted 5-0 on Tuesday to defer action until mid-December.
The decision came after county staff switched from recommending approval of a package of changes, some made possible by revisions in state law, to requesting the deferral.
The extra month “will allow us time for additional outreach to businesses and towing companies to discuss specifics,” said Aaron Miller, a deputy county manager who has oversight of public safety.
Some lingering questions for the county involve a proposed permitting system, which would allow towing operators to conduct business in Arlington. Possible regulations detailing how those operating certificates could be suspended or revoked are still being hashed out.
Other parts of the package, including an increase in base towing fees from $135 to $150, and the addition of a state-mandated surcharge of $20 that would run until next summer, additionally will be delayed until final action.
Finally, county officials now have more time to consider a so-called second-signature requirement, which in many cases would require an employee or owner of a business to sign, in real time, authorization for a tow.
Current county policy allows private-property owners to sign blanket authorization for all towing, rather than requiring individual signatures each time a vehicle is removed.
Schwartz and staff have recommended there be no second-signature requirement, and one Board member privately told ARLnow before consideration that it had been stripped out. But with the delay, that could change.
“We will have the ability to consider second signature, as well as [fee] levels” at the Board’s Dec. 14 meeting, Board member Matt de Ferranti said at the Nov. 19 hearing.
“At the moment, the second signature is still in there,” said Board Chair Libby Garvey, noting that it was included in the legal advertisement required to hold the hearing. But, she added, that did not mean Board members ultimately will include it.
“We’re going to consider the whole issue next month,” Garvey said.
Only two public speakers addressed this item on Tuesday. One was a representative of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, who asked the Board to keep the prohibition on a second-signature requirement.
The other was a resident who advocated for the second-signature requirement and said it was a “slap in the face” to lower-income county residents to reward towing companies with higher fees.
The county government’s Trespass Towing Advisory Board joined with staff in recommending no second-signature requirement, citing danger to business owners and employees. That three-member body consists of a police representative, member from the towing industry and a chair appointed from the public.
A decision on the ordinance changes initially had been placed on the Board’s Nov. 16 consent agenda, an unusual choice given the extensive debates surrounding the issue.
Arlington’s towing ordinance has been in the political fray for years, influenced by arguments at the local level, changes to state law and advocacy on the part of Northern Virginia lawmakers to get those changes revoked.
It was pulled of for consideration at the Nov. 19 meeting, where the deferral took place.
Among the various policy-change components advertised for consideration by Board members:
- Increase the base towing fee from $135 to $150;
- Add a $20 fuel surcharge to each tow with an expiration date of July 1, 2025;
- Increase the drop fee (when an individual returns to the vehicle during the tow) from $10 to $20;
- Implement a permitting system regulating towing operators who conduct trespass tows from private property with appeal abilities;
- Require a 48 hours notice to vehicle owners before removal from a multifamily lot based on an expired registration or inspection sticker;
- Implement regulations for truck signage, smart payment evidence, and timing of load securement;
- Require towing operator to provide police with the information surrounding the individual who authorized the tow; and
- Clarify requirements around vehicle release, receipt production, and photographs.
