Resort Officials Consider Repealing City’s Towing Ordinance

OCEAN CITY- A discussion on Tuesday about potentially increasing the towing rates in Ocean City quickly spun around to a larger debate about whether the resort should remain in the towing business at all.

Back in October, a unified group of towing industry representatives approached the Ocean City Police Commission about a proposed across-the-board rate increase in the fee schedule that has been in place for nearly a decade. The town’s code currently sets the maximum rate for a standard tow at $150, a figure that has remained unchanged since 2008, but the local tow companies that work with the town are seeking a graduated, across-the-board hike by as much as 100 percent in some cases.

When the issue was brought before the Police Commission last fall, it was decided to take a closer look at what neighboring jurisdictions in Worcester were doing with their tow rates. What was determined is all of the other jurisdictions in the county follow the state law in terms of setting their towing fees. Ocean City is the only jurisdiction in the county with a towing ordinance on the books, Ocean City Police Department Chief Ross Buzzuro told the Mayor and Council on Tuesday.

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