190511

The City of Portland ordains:

Section 1. The Council finds:

1. The City of Portland, Bureau of Transportation manages municipal tows performed under contracts with private tow companies.
2. The City of Portland, Bureau of Transportation manages private property impounds through PCC Chapter 7.24.
3. The purpose of the Towing Board of Review is to:

• Determine the terms and content of the contracts the City will abide by in contracting for dispatching and towing services.
• Establish fair rate of payment to be received for service performed under the various towing contracts and to determine the payment each towing company shall make to the dispatcher for services rendered.
• Review the performance of the City’s towing service contracts.
• Recommend to Council any changes it feels necessary to promote the general purpose of establishing fair and equitable arrangements for the performance of tows requested by City personnel.
• Oversee the operation of and inspect the equipment and personnel qualifications of all parties contracting with the City for towing or dispatch services.
• Hear and investigate complaints regarding the City’s towing contracts and performance thereof.
• Establish dispatch district boundaries.
• Cancel any towing or dispatching contracts under the terms thereof.

4. The towing industry and the needs of the community have expanded and are quickly evolving outside the scope of the existing Board.
5. The Bureau’s Towing and Private Property Impound Program is modernizing citywide standards for contracted companies, customer service, technology, and performance metrics. Therefore, programmatic needs have grown and shifted more toward policy recommendations to improve overall service, standards, equitable outcomes, and best practices.
6. To meet these new needs, the advisory body needs to be more flexible to accommodate future Bureau and community needs as they arise. Presently, the Board is restricted by City Code to focus more on the administration of towing contracts rather than more comprehensive policy issues and, therefore, are no longer serving the needs of the Bureau or the community.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:

A.  Repeal Code Chapter 3.98 Towing Board of Review

B.  Replace the Board by creating a new advisory committee under the authority of the Director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation that better reflects current needs.

Section 2.  The Council declares that an emergency exists because repealing PCC 3.98 is necessary for Regulatory to move forward with several time sensitive Towing Program initiatives; therefore, this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Council.