Cole County towing contract on hold amid confusion and concerns
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Tension boiled over at Tuesday morning's Cole County Commission meeting, leaving the signing of a towing contract tabled.
The county was set to sign with Broadway Wrecker Service after awarding it a bid last week to be the towing and storage company for the sheriff's office.
After a cost comparison of towing, hourly and storage fees, Broadway Wrecker Service was found to be the lowest option, according to Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher.
At Tuesday's meeting, Hoelscher raised questions about how long storage is, how long rates apply, if fees for evidentiary tows are passed to owners, and who has discretion.
Before that conversation could be had, local towing companies took the floor with serious concerns.
Kendall Stubinger of Kendall's Towing and Recovery "Tow Pro" said his business is also considered to have "dba Broadway Wrecker" at the end of its title, as it's a parent company.
"The company that has been awarded this bid, I'm not sure if that's my company or somebody else's company," Stubinger said.
He said he owns the name Broadway Wrecker, but another company in town runs Broadway Wrecker Service. And that has been a point of confusion. He added that his company has run one of Broadway Wrecker's trucks for about a year.
Western District Commissioner Harry Otto said the bid is being awarded to Broadway Wrecker LLC, as listed by the secretary of state.
Stubinger said he doesn't own an LLC, but legally, he has claims to Broadway Wrecker. Operationally, he said the actual service company seems to be fraudulent.
He said the company has had multiple crashes and that the number for the service is not a Cole County or Jefferson City number, but rather Columbia.
When their trucks have been in accidents, Stubinger said he's sometimes called by insurance companies, although it's not his trucks that crashed. He worried that will be another point of confusion if the company were to tow for the sheriff.
"So this bid gets awarded to them people, how many people are going to be Googling my number as Broadway Wrecker and calling me looking for their vehicle?" Stubinger said.
He brought up the fact that Broadway Wrecker Service does not have a website either.
Otto said that wasn't required in the contract.
"Basically, the average citizen, they're gonna call whoever they wanna call to tow them," Presiding Commissioner Sam Buschman said. "This contract is just for impounded vehicles, abandoned vehicles."
Stubinger said when you call the number listed for the Broadway Wrecker Service company, workers answer with the name Economy Towing.
A worker answered the phone at the company as "Economy Towing Broadway Wrecker Services."
He questioned what number dispatch will give when a citizen calls that their car has been towed by Broadway Wrecker.
A representative with Toebben's Towing joined Stubinger and asked, "How are they [people whose vehicle was towed] gonna know that though, where to find that number at?"
Buschman said the county went with Sheriff John Wheeler's recommendation to go with the $20,000-$25,000 a year option.
Commissioners then asked why the county is going with a seemingly questionable out-of-county company.
"We get a company from 40 miles away coming in here wanting to do business in our town, and they're doing it for less than half of what we can do it and have done it for the last years," Stubinger said.
He said that's a hit to local companies.
Broadway Wrecker Service also lied to commissioners, according to Stubinger. He said they lied about being approved by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and about how many employees they have.
The company is not on MSHP's approved tow list.
Broadway Wrecker Service had mentioned having spoken to the sheriff regarding the contract, Stubinger said, which companies seeking the bid were told not to.
A representative with Diamond Towing stood up and asked why Patrick Love with Broadway Wrecker Service was having conversations with the sheriff's office.
Wheeler approached the men at the podium and said that they were all contacted about the contract.
"I sent the same email to all three of you, so don't start throwing me under the bus," Wheeler said.
Wheeler told the men their pricing fell short.
He said the bid was submitted for Broadway Wrecker Service, and Stubinger's claim that he owns Broadway Wrecker is not the same. Wheeler said he went by the listing of the secretary of state when recommending the contract be awarded to Broadway Wrecker Service.
After about half an hour of comments, the commission voted to table the contract and confirm with the highway patrol Broadway Wrecker Service's approval to work for the county.
Check back for updates.
