RESOLUTION NO. __________
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CHULA VISTA AMENDING THE CITY -INITIATED TOW
LICENSE FEE
WHEREAS, on December 7, 20 21, City Council approved agreements with seven (7) companies to provide tow and impound services for City-initiated tows; and
WHEREAS, each agreement provides that the Tow License Fee is subject to review and revision each year; and
WHEREAS, the Police Department is requesting Council approval to update th is fee for calendar year 2026; and
WHEREAS, California Vehicle Code section 12110 authorizes the City to assess a Tow License Fee to tow companies “to reimburse the public entity for its actual and reasonable costs incurred in connection with the towing program”; and
WHEREAS, the Tow License Fee relates to staff recovery costs of requesting a tow call for service, from the start time a police employee calls for a tow request to the end time that the tow company leaves the scene, as well as the cost of tow management software; and
WHEREAS, the computation of the City’s Tow License Fee for 2026, effective January 1, 2026, as presented to the City Council, will be apportioned equally among the City’s contracted tow service providers for payment to City; and
WHEREAS, the City intends to recalculate and revise the City-Initiated Tow License Fee every year using the same methodology.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Chula Vista, that it amends the City-initiated Tow License Fee as follows:
[(Annual estimate of police-initiated tows) x (Estimated time spent per tow) x (Fully burdened hourly rate)] + (Tow Management Software cost) = Tow License Fee
Position / Description
Annual Estimate
of
Police-Initiated
Tows 1
Hours Spent
per
Police-Initiated
Tow 2
Fully
Burdened
Hourly Rate 3
Tow License
Fee
Police Lieutenant 106 0.55 $252.44 $14,717
Police Sergeant 65 0.55 $215.66 $7,710
Police Agent 201 0.55 $187.25 $20,700
Peace Officer 1,791 0.55 $156.34 $154,003
Sr Parking Enforcement Officer 644 0.55 $80.23 $28,417 Position / Description
Annual Estimate
of
Police-Initiated
Tows 1
Hours Spent
per
Police-Initiated
Tow 2
Fully
Burdened
Hourly Rate 3
Tow License
Fee
Parking Enforcement Officer 444 0.55 $75.63 $18,469
Community Service Officer 720 0.55 $75.82 $30,025
Tow Management Software 4 $118,000
TOTAL $392,041
1 Annual estimate and tow breakdown by position taken from tow management software. 2 Average 33 minutes of staff time during a tow call for service taken from tow management software. 3 Fully Burdened Hourly Rates as of 10/1/2025 provided by Finance Department. 4 Annual cost of tow management software is $118,000.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the total Tow License Fee shall be divided equally among the tow operators under the agreements with the City during calendar year 2026.
Presented by Approved as to form by
Roxana Kennedy Marco A. Verdugo
Chief of Police City Attorney