Hiram Burke, the owner of Clark’s Towing in Issaquah is concerned about threats to the local towing industry. With a 50-year history in Issaquah, between his company, along with Ruby’s Towing, which has been in Issaquah for just as long, they have 14 vehicles to serve Issaquah.

Daniel Weihe, the new owner of Ruby’s Towing, who bought the company from the Ruby family has eight tow trucks and two service vehicles.

Clark’s has four tow trucks.

When an accident occurs, or some other reason for a vehicle to be towed and/or impounded, these two local companies, along with Ibsen Towing in Issaquah, and Superior Towing with locations in Redmond and Bellevue, are on a rotation with the Issaquah Police as to who gets called out to remove the vehicles.

“But it’s a little bit upsetting, it’s frustrating when a wreck is right in front of you, and you wait 40 minutes for someone from Bellevue or Redmond,” Weihe said.

Both men said their trucks have a 20-minute window, which IPD requests, to get to the scene. But if either of them aren’t next on the rotation, they have to sit on the sidelines while a non-local company often struggles through traffic to get to the scene.

Burke said both his business and Ruby’s are registered tow truck operators, regulated by Washington state law, enforced and inspected by the Washington State Patrol. There are other tow truck operators who are not registered, therefore cannot be on IPD’s rotation.

Deputy Issaquah Police chief Steve Cozart said there are many regulations for tow truck drivers to earn certification. Since a tow they call for is generated as a public service, there are restrictions.

State law says if they can respond in 30 minutes it’s acceptable, but Cozart said they ask for 20 minutes and usually get it.

With an average of one call a day, except in the worst of winter, Burke would like to see the city council reduce the rotation to the local companies, except when the need is greater in winter. He doesn’t understand why the city wants to lose money by giving the business to tow operators from other communities. Burke said he does have contracts with the county and state, but not other cities.

“I’m looking to council to protect the sustainability of business in Issaquah,” Burke said, adding that another company is trying to get on the rotation.

Burke, who is also the district chair of the Towing and Recovery Association of Washington, said he and Weihe have a strong relationship. Weihe has a long history of business, where Burke has a long history of the towing industry.

“It’s nice to have this great relationship,” Burke said.

Weihe said another concern is that if a wreck occurs and one of the other companies on the rotation pick up a damaged yet repairable vehicle, the chances are it would go to an auto body shop in Redmond or Bellevue, again robbing a local body shop of the work and once again, Issaquah loses money.

“We hope our response time and service speaks for itself,” Weihe said.

Burke figures 60 percent of the towing work is being contracted to other cities.

“This is a business matter, not a personal attack on anyone’s business,” Burke said.

Cozart said the city and police are not making a conscious decision to step on the local tow companies, but they cannot show favoritism.

“It’s my understanding that we have to put someone (certified) on the rotation if they request to be on the list,” Cozart said.

City Council member Joshua Schaer, said city administrator Bob Harrison, the council and police will be looking into the issue. Schaer said he wasn’t familiar with the issue until Burke brought it up at a recent city council meeting.

The towing industry has had its challenges. In 2011, when a Capitol Hill resident was charged $800 by Citywide Towing in Seattle, for towing his vehicle from private property and transporting it to an impound lot, it sent the Seattle City Council into action, which approved caps on towing rates in the city beginning in January.

The cap will be $183 per hour for the first hour of an impound tow off of private property. Burke said this is also a very active situation.

On the Towing and Recovery Association of Washington (TRAW) website, president Daniel Johnson Sr., stated “Private impounds and rates are being debated in both houses and we are navigating the process to make sure we can help make laws that work for everyone.”