HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0796.001 2018-2020 Pig .
COMM. °7L
.} KAD INCA
PO BOX 2277 KAM U ELA, HI 96743
(808)889-1061
March 22,2020
Aloha County Councilman Tim Richards,
We are writing to you in response of the current debate between the State DCCA and Hawaii County
Police Contract.The.cost of living in Hawaii is one of the highest in the nation and that goes the same for
the cost of doing business.With that Construction Companies, Hotels,and all businesses that cater to
tourism charge some of the highest in the nation to offset that extra cost of operating in Hawaii. How is
it that these companies that provide non critical services can charge high prices but us as Tow Operators
who provide emergency towing, recovery, roadside services including accident scene cleanups,24
hours a day,365 days a year, can only charge what the State H.R.S.says towing companies can charge.
For example,the state H.R.S.says towing companies can only charge$ 65 Hookup/$ SO Hookup after
hours and$7.50 per towed mile.So is it reasonable to say that if we get called for a tow in Kailua-Kona,
for example, and the tow is only 2 miles within Kona,that we can only charge$80 during regular hours
and$ 95 during after hours and still be able to stay in business, knowing that the cost of equipment,
fuel and employee wages far exceed that amount.Also the H.R.S. does not regulate recovery and
Hazmat cleanups and should not be allowed to as the costs to provide this service and equipment are
very high and vary in size, difficulty,along with safety.The State H.R.S. also says that we cannot charge
any tax on these tows. Does that mean that we are tax exempt also. I don't think so. I think this law was
written along time ago for Honolulu where everything is in close proximity and where they tow in
volumes.Therefore, I think we on Hawaii Island,especially Police Contract tow Operators,should not be
held to this but be able charge according to our Official Tow Contracts that are in place.
The cost of providing good, dependable equipment and good Operators to do the job of 24 Hour
Towing and Recovery, etc.are very high,therefore we have to be allowed to charge a good and
reasonable amount in order to keep continuing to provide this much needed and critical service to not
only Law enforcement and Fire Departments but also the general public.
Example:
March 21, 2020 at approximately 4:17am we were called by HPD to a fatality in Kailua-Kona on Alii
Drive.We dispatched five units due to the nature of the accident and concrete barriers having to be
moved to be able to gain access for the body removal personnel to recover the body, along with the
vehicle's recovery/removal.As our highly trained and qualified response team arrived on scene they
immediately started to clean the debris until body removal showed up.After the body was removed
from the vehicle our team recovered the vehicle and continued to clean the entire scene.At that point
the scene was remediated and we placed the concrete barriers back to its original position as if the area
had not been touched. Our units cleared the area so that the road could reopen. We sent two units to
the Hawaii County Police Evidence Yard on Hale Makai Place to drop the vehicle for evidence then
continued back to Waimea Base Yard.They arrived back at 8:46am.According to H.R.S we would only be
allowed to charge$99.50 for four hours of services we rendered. How is this legal?
Comm. o. _
Ref. To:
ef.gate JUN 16 2020
• When the authorized driver shows up while the vehicle is being hooked up at
the picked up location who pays for the fuel and service time getting to the
vehicle that we were called to tow and have to unhook from the vehicle at no
charge
• Who pays for absorbents and other materials and equipment along with service
time used to clean and remediate accident scene's
• Who pays for vehicles that are towed and stored'at tow yards for thirty days
then are abandoned and the tow company has to pay to dispose of
• Who enforces insurance companies to pay the tow companies for their services
rendered to their insured's vehicle that was involved in an accident then is left
abandoned at the tow yard for the tow companies to pay to dispose of
• We along with other towing companies lose tens of thousands of dollars per
year for abandoned vehicles and that is not including what insurance companies
refuse to pay for,who pays for these losses
• Accidents and impounds more then 50%go unpaid this equivalates to hundreds
of thousands in time,who pays these losses
IMPORTANT NOTE: We have a State Bill that is attached that basically says that Towing
Companies should be left with their hands tied behind their backs and even tries to say that"Due to high
costs of living in Hawaii "Towing companies can only charge a certain amount. The is one of the most
absurd and ridiculous statements 1 have seen coming from a State that allows Construction companies to
charge Insane amounts of money which is the real reason we have high homelessness and a housing
shortage. Hawaii has the 4t' highest Construction cost in the World, the highest median housing cost in
the nation, one of the highest average daily hotel rates in the nation, and simply one of the most overall
expensive places to live in the nation and yet they want to take it out on the Towing Industry which actually
provides emergency service 24 Hours a day,Just like our Government emergency services, but with no
Government backed funds.
In final I want to say that we love helping the community and local authorities in doing our job and helping
keep the roads open,clear and clean and also helping keep our land clean by not letting Vehicle/accident
pollutants go into the environment.We do that by providing fast,efficient and professional services which
takes expensive equipment and highly trained and certified personnel. We are Hazwoper Certified,
National TIM Certifed by the US Dot, Wreckmaster certified, OSHA Scene Commander Certified, OSHA
First Responder Awareness with Spill Cleanup Certified,and OSHA General Industry Certified.So with this
we make sure that every job is done with Efficiency so the road can be open as quick as possible as to
keep commerce and the general public traffic flowing but yet with safety and proper cleanup in mind to
keep our environment healthy and clean.And all of this takes Money which is why we need to resolve this
issue.
Thank you for your time,
Kevin Vincent-CARTOW