Had your car towed in Bluffton? It may become easier to get it back

An earlier version of this story included a misspelling of Jeffrey Robinowich’s name and misidentified the name of Morris Garage and Towing.

Having your car towed is never a pleasant experience, but Bluffton leaders are considering changes to town regulations to make it a little less miserable.

Currently, if the Bluffton Police Department calls in a tow truck after an accident or arrest, one of nine companies respond on a rotating basis.

But, “of those nine, only three have a physical building in the town of Bluffton and a lot in the town of Bluffton,” Bluffton Police Department Maj. Joseph Manning said during a discussion with town council members earlier this week.

Three companies rent lot space in Bluffton but don’t have an office in town, he said.

Lack of a local presence can result in quite a bit of hassle when drivers retrieve their cars.

“The owner of (a towed) vehicle might have to go Hardeeville, Ridgeland or someplace in Beaufort to get the paperwork (from an office), in order to come back (to Bluffton) and get their vehicle,” Manning said.

The three other tow companies on the rotation list don’t operate lots or offices in Bluffton, forcing drivers to travel miles into neighboring counties to retrieve their vehicles.

The department averages nearly 150 tow calls a month, which “is a lot to put on one or two wrecker companies,” Manning said. “That’s why we have nine companies on our rotation right now.”

But Jeffrey Robinowich of Morris Garage and Towing, which operates an office and lot in town, said, “I think the people who are already in Bluffton can handle (the rotation workload).”

Councilman Fred Hamilton agreed.

“Should we only have tow companies (that have operations) inside the town?” he asked rhetorically. “Yes.”

Mayor Lisa Sulka said an out-of-town company should “absolutely be the last person to call.”

In addition to requiring tow companies to maintain a presence in town, the police department wants to ensure a lots are secure and wrecker drivers pass background checks.

Current regulations also allow individual towers to set up multiple companies at the same address.

This creates a situation in which a company can be called to tow cars more than once per rotation cycle, essentially leapfrogging a competitor.

“I really don’t like the idea of someone figuring out a loophole in our ordinance; we’ve got to tighten up,” Sulka said.

She added that tow operations such as Morris Garage and Towing, which operates as a single company, “would be crazy not to (take advantage of that loophole) if someone else is doing that.”

Police officials and town leaders will continue discussing ways to address these issues over the next several months.

Amendments to the town’s towing regulations are expected to be introduced by council in May and potentially approved by July.

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 8:49 AM with the headline "Had your car towed in Bluffton? It may become easier to get it back."