What Cities Don’t Want You to Know
Because Transparency Apparently Costs Extra, let’s be clear! Towing isn’t just a business, it’s a revenue stream. When you see a tow truck hauling away cars in perfect formation, it’s not just about “keeping the streets safe.” It’s about filling city coffers, paying for administrative “oversight,” and pretending there’s some sort of accountability. Spoiler: there isn’t.
Every city claims to have “strict towing regulations,” “fair oversight,” and “regular audits.” Sounds reassuring, right? The truth? Most municipal audits, when they actually happen, are as toothless as a goldfish. They’re designed to look good on paper while quietly ignoring the rampant overcharging, missing receipts, and shady fee structures that would make a used car salesman blush.
The Illusion of Oversight
When you read that a city “audits” its tow contractors, you might picture accountants with clipboards and calculators, scrutinizing every penny. In reality, many of these “audits” are glorified check-ins — a city employee glances at a few invoices, nods, and calls it a day. Some cities even let towing companies self- report their data. Imagine letting your teenager “self-report” their curfew history and expecting honesty.
Then there’s the cozy relationship between city officials and towing operators. Contracts worth millions of dollars get renewed year after year, often without competition. It’s the municipal version of “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” — or in this case, “don’t audit the company that brings in the fines.”
The Hidden Costs Buried in the Paperwork
Even when auditors do dig in, they often find the same pattern: missing receipts, phantom storage fees, and unapproved charges that somehow “slipped through the cracks.” The worst part? Those cracks are about the size of the Grand Canyon.
Many city contracts set “maximum allowable fees,” but guess what? Tow companies invent “administrative” or “release” fees that conveniently aren’t capped. Your $150 tow can balloon to $500 with a few creative line items. And because cities take a cut of every impound, there’s zero incentive to tighten oversight.
In some places, audits have revealed that hundreds of cars were auctioned or destroyed without notice to the registered owners, a blatant violation of state law. When called out, officials respond with bureaucratic poetry like “procedural oversight” or “communication delays.” Translation: we got caught, and we’re hoping you move on.
Follow the Money (If You Can)
Municipal towing programs often bury their numbers deep in annual budgets, listed under vague headings like “traffic enforcement revenue.” The goal? Make it impossible for taxpayers to trace where the money goes. Some cities use towing funds for public safety; others, for random pet projects. Meanwhile, drivers who can’t afford $400 in “release” fees lose their cars, often their only way to get to work, while the city pockets the profits.
Let’s be blunt: the system isn’t broken. It’s working exactly as intended.
The Audit That Never Audits
If you’re waiting for your city to audit itself into fairness, don’t hold your breath. Municipal towing audits are the bureaucratic equivalent of grading your own test and giving yourself an A+. The deck is stacked, the books are cooked, and the rules were written by the very people cashing the checks. That’s when OUTPOUND.com takes the wheel! We’re your personal team for when the city won’t lift a finger. We help you document every questionable fee, decode the fine print when the paperwork smells fishy and the “audit results” are nothing but fluff! Don’t wait for city hall to find its conscience! You need to find your way to OUTPOUND.com. We’re the watchdog they hope you never call.
