If you’ve ever gone to bed with a parked car and woken up without one — thanks to a Harrisonburg tow truck — you’re in good company. And if you were fuming because you couldn’t pick it up until the office opened the next day? Same. The people of Harrisonburg have spoken about this issue, and the city council is listening!
Recently, the Harrisonburg City Council unanimously voted to create a private towing advisory board in response to growing concerns over what many residents have called “predatory towing” practices.
The new board is designed to guide local towing companies by introducing ordinances that regulate 24/7 towing. Currently, the city has limited oversight over how private towing operates. According to Sgt. Wayne Westfall, traffic supervisor with the Harrisonburg Police Department, the new board aims to “close the gap between tow companies and the community” and will be a “positive” step forward.
The proposal came after former JMU students voiced complaints about being towed from private apartment complexes. Westfall explained, “We had some local residents who were former JMU students that went to the city to talk about, potentially, the city having this trespassing tow board. Under state code, the city had to enact that.”
One major concern is the inconvenience of overnight towing. In many cases, vehicles are towed in the middle of the night, but owners can't retrieve them until the office opens the next day. This often leads to missed work and additional fees. “It’ll also give people another avenue if they believe they’ve been a victim of towing that wasn’t appropriate,” Westfall said. “It gives them a local entity to go to, to discuss that. Right now, their answer is the Attorney General.”
The board will include five members: two HPD officers, two towing company representatives, and one city resident to ensure a balanced perspective. “We can protect the people being towed, as well as look out for the tow companies to ensure everybody knows how things are supposed to work,” said Westfall.
City Council members echoed the public’s frustrations. At the meeting, Mayor Deanna Reed acknowledged the ongoing complaints about towing in the city. Councilwoman Laura Dent added, “In the case of visitors, if they’re just in from out of town and they have to catch a plane the next day… If they tow 24/7, they’d better release 24/7.”
While there’s no confirmed date for the board’s first meeting, Westfall said meetings will be announced 30 days in advance. In the meantime, he plans to study how similar advisory boards operate across Virginia. Before the board can officially meet, the council must hold a second reading and formally adopt the ordinance.
SOURCE: Harrisonburg Daily News Record