Laserfiche WebLink
<br />tabled to give the gentleman a chance to talk with the Council again. He remembers the <br />Council's previous discussion, and there are a lot of reasons they did not go with this towing <br />service, which were valid at the time, but it could be that times have changed and the business <br />has changed some. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated this individual overcharged the City, billed them for things that were not <br />done, and there were people complaining about other things he was doing. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated he does not know the problems necessarily that the City had with <br />this towing service, and is not sure that is important. He is not advocating for this gentleman in <br />any respect; however, if there were mistakes made with him he does not think that forever <br />precludes him from getting back in the loop. It needs to be debated whether someone that has <br />made mistakes has turned it around and corrected those errors, and whether the City feels they <br />have. Maybe rather than awarding the towing service to one specific contractor they should open <br />it up and have competitive bidding to see if the City is getting the best deal for their services. He <br />is not aware whether they are getting the best bang for the buck. His suggestion is that they put <br />this out for bid. This gentleman that raised the issue might not have taken the remedies that they <br />see fit, and then he would not get the contract; it has to be a responsible bidder, not just the <br />lowest responsible bidder. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated sometimes you live with the mistakes you make, and he personally does not <br />have confidence in this individual doing the job. They have had good luck with the company <br />they are currently using, and the County has been happy with their response. <br /> <br />Police Chief Way stated his opinion is that he had a lot of issues with Champlin Towing, and <br />those issues were made public. Things were not done to his satisfaction. There were continued <br />complaints from the officers, citizens and dispatchers. He has a letter from the Communications <br />Coordinator for the County outlining problems they had with Champlin Towing. This is a <br />Council decision on what they need to do with this service. However, it should be noted that last <br />week when the contract with North Star was published in the consent agenda it included the <br />rates, which are the same rates North Starr has with the'cities of Anoka and Coon Rapids, and <br />Anoka County. This is the first rate increase since 2003. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated they are not trying to pin one contractor over the other, they are <br />talking about opening this to public bid. They may have their preferences and opinion, but the <br />City is at risk of showing favoritism and there may be a third or fourth party that would be a <br />viable player in this bidding process. As far as speaking to not trusting Champlin Towing, they <br />know there is legislation being created now on behalf of North Star Towing. <br /> <br />Police Chief Way stated he contacted Senator Jungbauer who has said there is a lot more to the <br />legislation than what was said at the City Council meeting. North Star is not present to dispute <br />the statements about the legislation. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated his point is that in a bidding process they have the opportunity to <br />open it to all the available players. His personal opinion is that he is frustrated when he hears <br />that Connexus and Champlin Towing are not meeting their contract, and it is the City's problem. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / May 8, 2007 <br />Page 2 of8 <br />