About a half dozen area wrecker company owners or representatives attended the Chattanooga Beer & Wrecker Board’s most recent meeting to express their concerns about possible changes to the city’s guidelines governing the industry.
Chief among their concerns was an idea floated at the board’s last meeting by Beer & Wrecker Officer John Collins and newly elected Board Chairman Bill Glasscock that the city consider moving to a single, city-owned yard that is staffed 24/7. Wrecker company owners said this would hurt their businesses.
Board members have said for at least two years that the guidelines needed to be updated for a variety of reasons, including vague policies, pricing equity, safety for both the drivers and customers and call times.
Glasscock joined the board less than a year ago and volunteered to research the topic for several months. He has met with officials at the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the city of Knoxville, which uses a single yard, and Collins, in addition to doing his own research, he said.
The topic came up at the end of the board’s July 15 meeting, when Glasscock and Collins updated the board on their findings. Both emphasized that their comments were their own and represented only the beginning of what likely would be a long process involving discussions with members of the towing industry and the public and then a presentation to and vote by the city council.