City Council

6 City of Taunton Municipal Council December 26, 2023 lOZG JAN -8 P !2: 08 The Committee on Police and License ·--·------:i ·~y CLE.:FK The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA 02780 in the Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. Members Present: Councilor Jeffrey Postell, Chairman Councilor Barry Sanders Councilor Estele Borges Also present: Detective William Rutherford Andy Amaro, Amaro Family Auto Sales Edward Walsh, Police Chief Matt Costa, City Solicitor The meeting was called to order at 5 :32 PM. 1. Approve minutes from December 19, 2023 Motion by Mr. Sanders to approve was seconded by Ms. Borges. So voted. 2. Meet on the following applications for renewal of Class II Used Car Dealer Licenses: a. A T.N.T. Auto Sales, LLC at 391 Winthrop Street Petition Submitted for Transfer of Ownership to Nichola Dobeib, Sole Owner Detective Rutherford explained that Mr. Dobeib was already one of the owners but now he will be a sole owner instead of a partner. Motion by Mr. Sanders and seconded by Ms. Borges to approve. So voted. b. Amaro Family Auto Sales at 515 Middleboro Avenue, East Taunton Com . .from City Planner - Submitting Comments & Special Permit/Site Plan Review for Amaro Family Auto Sales Mr. Postell referred to the letter from Mr. Scanlon dated November 22 and Detective Rutherford stated that on the business side they meet the requirements.  7 Motion by Ms. Borges and seconded by Mr. Sanders to invite in Mr. Amaro. So voted. Mr. Amaro explained that he is waiting on updated plans and once construction begins it should take about 60-90 days with an anticipated spring to late spring completion. Mr. Sanders asked what activity is currently taking place at the site and Mr. Amaro explained that he is selling cars and that he has a part-time technician to fix the cars that he sells. He is not taking outside work Motion by Mr. Sanders and seconded by Ms. Borges to renew the license until the end of April with the understanding that if they are done earlier and ready to start bringing work in they should bring it before the Committee. So voted. Mr. Postell noted that April 30 is a Tuesday so this discussion should be planned for that date. c. B&J Auto Sales located at 632 Winthrop Street d. Corrao Motor's located at 251 Broadway, Taunton e. Dipson Convenience & Repair, Inc., dba Dipson & Sons Auto Sales at 594 Winthrop Street Motion by Mr. Sanders and seconded by Ms. Borges to approve c, d, and e (B&J, Corrao, and Dipson). So voted. f. Happy Bear, Inc. at 54 Cottage Street Change of Ownership to Annette Snigier, Sole Owner g. R & F Motors, Inc. located at 35 Dana Street Petition Submitted for Transfer of Ownership to Robert A. Martin, Sole Owner Detective Rutherford explained that both Happy Bear and R & F are good to go. In the case of Happy Bear, the wife took over the business and R & F was sold. Motion by Mr. Sanders and seconded by Ms. Borges to approve f and g. So voted. h. Rouhana Trading, LLC dba Rouhana Trading at 13 Cape Road Motion by Ms. Borges and seconded by Mr. Sanders to approve. So voted. 1. T:;iunton Auto and Truck Sales and Service, Inc. at 603 Winthrop Street Petition Submitted for Transfer of Ownership to Yacoub Dobeib, Sole Owner Detective Rutherford explained that the business was sold to Yacoub Dobeib. Committee on Police and License December 26, 2023 Page 2 of 4  8 Motion by Ms. Borges and seconded by Mr. Sanders to approve. So voted. 3. Meet on the petition for a renewal of an Hours of Operations License for Joe's Diner, Inc. located at 51 Broadway, Taunton Motion by Mr. Sanders and seconded by Ms. Borges to approve. So voted. 4. Meet with the Police Chief and City Solicitor for a discussion on the current Tow Contracts. Ms. Borges explained that this discussion was brought about by current events where a tow operator was found to have no license, no insurance, etc. She stated that she is not sure how much involvement this committee has with tow contracts and asked what the process currently is. Chief Walsh explained that some years ago they realized that the City did not have contracts with the tow companies and, at that time, they wanted to expand outside the existing 6 operators. The current administration created the new contracts which run from 2022-2025. He indicated that the awarding of towing goes back to probably the 30s and this has been done by the administration. Chief Walsh wasn't sure why it came before Police and License in the past. Ms. Borges recalled discussions in 2014 and 2015. Chief Walsh expressed concerns with the current 2 week rotational basis because there are times when the tow operator can't get to the next car until they finish with the prior. He noted that some communities go tow by tow. Mr. Sukeforth indicated that contracts typically have a termination clause. Attorney Costa stated that as a general rule, unless there is other contract language, both parties need to agree in order to amend a contract. Chief Walsh reported that two vendors will likely be changing ownership but that the contracts are with the businesses that are in place on that date. There is language in the contracts that they are to notify the City when a business changes ownership. Ms. Borges asked what can be done better with the tow contracts and the Chief indicated that the whole process should be looked at and Mr. Sukeforth has been looking at other communities. Mr. Postell stated that when he was in the south the rotation was per tow. He noted that there has been an increase in crashes around the community and that the City needs to be sure to be getting what it's supposed to be getting per the contract language. The Chief and Attorney Costa indicated that contract administration is typically more in the Mayor's purview. Mr. Postell stated that, while he is not interested in being involved in contract negotiations, he would like to ensure that the contract is being followed and that there is proactive, progressive outreach to these companies to make sure nothing falls off the radar and that appropriate checks and balances are in place to make sure that everything is being followed to the letter of the contract. Mr. Sanders indicated that ifthe Council is going to be involved on the back end regarding terminating a contract, then they should be involved on the front end at least on reviewing the language of the contract and procedures for oversite. He stated that it doesn't seem that oversight of the details of the tow contracts was a priority. Attorney Costa stated that this came to the Council because of the contract language. Mr. Sanders indicated that he believes Committee on Police and License December 26, 2023 Page 3 of4  9 that the public deserves to have a transparent process. Having revoked a contract recently, he asked if there is an opening and, if so, this might be an opportunity to try out some new language. Chief Walsh stated that there have been some discussions internally and he believes two other vendors are going to stop operations this year. He suggested that they look at the whole process. Ms. Borges asked if there is reason to believe that the City is heading in the direction of one tow contract. The Chief replied that one vendor makes sense to him which might be a vendor who subcontracts to others. His biggest concern is the immediate tow. Ms. Borges expressed her concern for small businesses being put out of business. The Chief stressed that how the City currently does towing is not working and that, operationally, this needs to be reevaluated. She asked ifthe Chair of the Police and License Committee could be on the committee to evaluate the RFPs in the future. Mr. Postell reiterated that this conversation was happening because vendors were not :fulfilling their obligation based on the contract they had signed. He wants to make sure there is some level of check and balance throughout the year and stressed that there should be an internal policy whereby requirements are checked. Ms. Borges requested that this matter be kept on file so that they can continue to discuss this. Motion by Mr. Sanders and seconded by Ms. Borges to schedule this for 6 months for an update on the current thinking and what the process might be for new contracts. So voted. Motion by Mr. Sanders and seconded by Ms. Borges to dismiss the parties and adjourn the meeting at 6:24 PM So voted. List o(Documents and Other Exhibits Used: The Committee on Police and License meeting minutes from December 19, 2023. Letter from Kevin Scanlon dated November 22, 2023 CITY OF TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, DEC. 2 6 2023 Maggie IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Clerk of Council Committees REPORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. ~/~ Committee on Police and License December 26, 2023 ASSIST ANT CITY CLERK Page4 o/4