Towing Contract Sharing Letter - scanned 3-6-2023WENZEL TOWING, INC.
275 Salina St.
Dubuque, IA 52003
Phone: 563-556-6480
September 1, 2003
Dear Mayor & Council Members:
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We are writing this letter in regards to the City Towing Contract. We are asking that the
Council table this matter because we feel that there are some issues that need to be resolved
before the contract should be awarded. These issues are as follows:
The General Specifications for the contract have not been updated since the original
specifications were drawn up 12 years ago. The volume of towing has doubled, if not tripled,
from 12 years ago, therefore, the space required back then, is not sufficient today. Over this
term of 12 years, we've had to expand our facility 2 times to be able to keep the vehicles in a
secured area as required.
The fence is also only required to be 6 feet tall (again 12 years ago), and that is also not high
enough for today's vandals.
We just want the City to understand that the reason that our bid was 15% higher than the
other towing company, is because we were bidding on today's cost .... not 12 years ago (fuel,
wages, insurance, and extra space that has been needed to meet the demand). The size of our
outside storage lot is 175 feet by 85 feet. Our inside storage is 120 feet by 50 feet. If we
could have made our bid on storage of 50 cars and all of the other specifications stated in the
contract, we could have came in a lot less too, but we average between 90 to 120 cars towed
in one month, so how is storage for 50 cars sufficient? At all times, we have around 60 to 80
cars in storage.
Times have changed in the past 12 years. For example: Parking tickets - How many parking
tickets is a person allowed before their vehicle is towed? Insurance Laws - If a person has a
second conviction for no insurance, their vehicle is impounded. If it is for drugs, it is
impounded. Street storage has also increased over this period of years, and there are several
other things that have changed, too numerous to mention, so therefore, we are asking that the
general specifications for the towing contract be updated to today and the future, versus 12
years ago.
Mayor & Council Members
Page Two
There is another issue with the other towing company and zoning. Our lawyer wrote to Chief
Wadding about the zoning issue. We have heard of complaints from neighbors, that they
don't like that kind of business in a residential area, so what is this going to be like with more
junk cars around? Attached is a complaint received by City Zoning in February, 2001. They
are also not allowed to expand in any way, due to the way that it is zoned, under Section
4-6.2(C) of the Zoning Ordinance. If they can't expand legally, how could they recently
excavate part of a bank on their property and put up a retaining wall to provide more outside
storage room to get to the minimum of 50 cars. Again, 50 is not sufficient today anyway.
We feel that this is an issue that needs to be looked at for the future.
The City Manager and Police Chief originally recommended our Company be awarded the
new towing contract. Chief Wadding recommended us because of the great service we
provided to the City for the past 12 years and because the other towing company did not
meet the City's specifications for outside storage. We strongly feel that we have gone above
and beyond the requirements that the City has required and hope to continue our good
relationship with the City of Dubuque. If the Council splits the towing contract in half, it
will be harder to keep employees since they may be laid off when the other company is on the
rotation. Most tows are from the downtown area for delinquent parking tickets. Our shop is
downtown. People whose cars have been towed can walk to our facility. The other towing
company is way out on the west end and not as accessible from downtown.
We think these issues should be addressed. But if the City splits the contract, Wenzel
Towing would be happy to receive one of the contracts. We provided good service and value
to the City and will continue to do so.
Sincerely,
08/28/2003 02:00 3195563015
WENZEL TOWING
PAGE 02
CITY Cyr iXJSUQUE
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Dubuque City Zoning Commission
We are writing to you of a concern in the neighborhood.
We are concerned about a business we think is in violation
of city code and definitly needs to be cleaned up. It is at
3.366 Crescent Ridge Road. It is operated by Bert Steve and
Son. From the front it does not appear to bad but go on to
of the hill and look from many of our yards. To sit out p
when the weather is nice it is not very desirable. We have
spoken to the owners without any results happening onl
promise to clean it up. They said they would plant a Y
tree to hid it but from the top of the hill that would now of
help. Also last year we experienced some rodentsof
which beleive come_ from the mess. It is an eyesore and we
in there all times of the night with towing. Man tare
is
trucks that sit there for a long period of time.are big
told by people this is violation of city codeWe have been
regulations. We would a
appreciate if the city and fire
commission could inspect this' zoning
Thank you propetry,