The Town of Plattekill will double the number of towing companies allowed to tow vehicles in the town once it approves a new law that it is currently considering.

Police Chief Joseph Ryan presented an updated towing policy to the Town Board at its Aug. 18 meeting. The new law was revised by Town Attorney Paul Kellar after the board had discussed regulations regarding towing at its July 21 meeting.

The town doesn’t have a towing law in place at this time and the towing has been rotated between town operators Modena Collision and Potter’s Collision and Towing.

Supervisor Joseph Croce said recently, however, that the town needed to adopt a towing law after it had received requests from towing companies outside the Town of Plattekill who want to be included in the towing rotation.

At the July meeting, the Town Board asked Ryan to suggest how many companies should be included in the rotation based on the number of cars that are towed in the town each year.

“His opinion, and I agree with it, is that we should have no more than four towing companies on the towing list,” Croce said.

Ryan estimated that there are between 50 and 60 vehicles towed in the town annually.

“If you put a whole bunch of towing companies on the list, there’s not going to be enough activity to keep them all happy,” Croce said.

Councilman Larry Farrelly said adding two companies would seem to be reasonable.

“If the Chief thinks that four is an adequate number, then I guess I agree with what the Chief says,” Farrelly said.

Ryan said the two additional companies that asked to be included on the list were Autos by Joseph and Nicky D’s Towing and Recovery. Both are located in Highland.

According to the proposed law, the towing company that is at the top of the list will be called by a dispatcher if the towing of a vehicle is necessary and the company must return any voicemail message within three minutes if the call isn’t answered. If the company doesn’t respond within three minutes, the next company on the list will be called.

Towing companies must arrive at the scene of the accident within 25 minutes of receiving a call under the proposed law.

Ryan said if one of the towing companies shows up at the scene of an accident when they weren’t called to the scene, the company would be issued a warning.

“If there was any subsequent violation, they would be removed from the list,” Ryan said.

Also, towing companies on the list must be located no more than two miles outside the town’s jurisdiction.

“I think that makes sense because we have quite a large area that we cover,” Councilman Dean DePew said.

Ryan estimated the town had 37 square miles of land.

“We’re trying to be fair to everybody with this,” Croce said. “But if we’re saying a towing company has to arrive on the scene in 25 minutes, to come from much further than two miles outside the town line is going to be very difficult.”

“We don’t want tow companies speeding to get there,” Ryan said. “That only serves as a risk to the general public.”

The Town of Plattekill will regulate the towing and storage costs. There will be an annual $250 application fee for each prospective towing company.

The owner of the vehicle that is being towed also can request a company that is not on the list, Croce said.

Ryan will consult with Kellar to make any modifications to the law and also establish towing and storage charges before the board reviews it again. A public hearing on the towing ordinance must be held before it is approved by the board.

Joseph DiBlanca, owner of Autos by Joseph, suggested that the board consider making several changes to the towing law.

For instance, he requested that a requirement in the law that a towing company must be a registered repair shop be waived.

“If one is in the business of towing, past experience has proven that one does not have to be a repair shop,” he said.

DiBlanca also objected to a section that said the towing company must have a separate storage area for vehicles that police suspect were used for criminal activity.

“I’ve been in this industry for 35 years and it is not customary for any law enforcement agency to turn over a vehicle to a tow company that will be further needed for the purpose of searching for drugs, the searching of the car itself and damage to the car and so forth,” he said.

DiBlanca said cars that need to be searched are usually returned to the police department or town garage where the vehicle can be secured.

Overall, though, DiBlanca said he thought the proposed towing law was acceptable.

“I like this thing,” he said. “I expected (it) tonight to be a lot worse. It’s pretty good.”

Croce said he would consult with Kellar about DiBlanca’s suggestions before the final document was finished.

In other board news, it was announced that the annual Rocking Horse Ranch Day for town residents will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 17.

Tickets will be sold from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 9 at the Town Hall. The cost is $45 per ticket and children ages 2 and under are free.

Payment can be made only by check or money order and should be made out to the Town of Plattekill. Six tickets are allowed per family and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Horseback trail rides can be purchased separately on the day of the event at Rocking Horse Ranch for $43.47 per person.

For more information, please call the Town Hall at 883-7331.