Transportation and Environment Committee
April 7, 2025
Rachel Roberts, Deputy Director, Code Enforcement, PBCE Namrata Batra Agrawal, Product and Projects Manager, ITD (D) 6. City-Generated Tow
Services Model Status Report
Address all 17 tow audit
recommendations
Develop a new City-Generated
Tow Service Delivery Model
Develop Request for Proposals
(RFP) /award of contract(s)
Purpose and Background
2 Purpose:
Provide a status report of the
City-Generated Tow Services
Delivery Model and contract
services implementation
Background:
City-Generated Tows are tows
requested by City Departments
to remove a vehicle from
public property (primarily
SJPD and DOT)
January 2019- City Audit of
City-Generated
Towing Services and
Administration response
accepted by City Council (17
Audit recommendations)
City Administration Response- Four primary goals:
Transition the new program model
from the Department of Planning,
Building, and Code Enforcement
(PBCE) to SJPD
PBCE SJPD
2 Key Milestones
3 Aug 2023
• Third-Party Tow Administration Contract awarded to Autura Mar 4,
2024
• Status report provided to Transportation and Environment Committee • All but one Audit recommendation implemented
• Contract vendor onboarding underway
Mar 2024 -
Feb 2025
• Multi-department Tow Contract Administration Team
• New tow services model implementation- requirement gathering, software integration, testing and training • Continued service delivery
Jan 21,
2025
• New Senior Analyst onboarded to PD to oversee Tow Program Feb 3,
2025
• Phase-1 launched
Third-party
administration and tow
management system
including software
Direct contracts with
tow providers
Critical infrastructure
and resources
1,051 vehicle tows,
400 vehicles released,
7 lived-in vehicles
relocated to safe
parking sites
4 Key Accomplishments
Program Modifications
3 page manual CHP180 tow
slip to one-page digital tow
slip submitted online
Administration
Monitor assigned tow trucks
in real-time via mobile
devices/ MDCs
Data Tracking
Track towed vehicle date
including ownership details,
reasons for towing, and
violations
Billing
Automated functionalities
Tracking system for invoices/
payments
Reporting
Detailed performance
insights and regular
reporting
Oversight
Transition of tow program
oversight from PBCE to SJPD
5 Operational Enhancements
Challenges
System Failure • Software notification failure led to storage and impound errors
• Mitigation- implemented temporary manual
verification process to double check vehicle
impounds
Tow Company Compliance • Refusal to tow oversized vehicles • Mitigation- system refinements, vendor coordination, and operational adjustments
6 What’s Next?
7 Phase-II
•Starts April 2025
•Public Portal
•Enhanced reporting tools
Ongoing
Improvements
•Continued system
monitoring
•Performance evaluation
•System Refinements
Fiscal
Sustainability
• Budget assessment
and planning for
sustainable tow
operations
Primary Goals Achieved
8 Address all 17 Tow Audit Recommendations
Develop Request for Proposals (RFP) /Award of
Contract
Develop a new City-Generated Tow Service
Delivery Model
Transition Tow Program from PBCE to SJPD
For any questions or concerns contact:
[email protected]
Thank You