The Virginia Port Authority wants to bypass the commission that oversees the Port of Richmond on behalf of the City Council as it pursues talks with Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ administration about a potential takeover of the cash-strapped port.
Richmond’s Future
via timesdispatch.com WILL JONES.
September 17, 2010
VIA EMAIL TO byron.marshall@richmondgov.com
Mr. Byron C. Marshall, Chief Administrative Officer
City of Richmond
900 E. Broad St., Room 200
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Re: Towing Rate Increase
Dear Mr. Marshall,
I still have concerns about your decision to raise the standard towing rate charged to citizens. Last year, the city requested companies to submit bids for towing illegally parked vehicles and to provide other services to the city. Seibert’s Towing submitted the winner bid.
In essence, the contract provided that Seibert’s would charge the citizen $65 for towing a vehicle and the city would pay Seibert’s an additional $38 per tow. The additional $38 would offset Seibert’s agreement to provide other towing services to the city at no charge.
After the contract was signed, you agreed to allow Seibert’s to charge citizens an additional $30 per tow. According to the city finance department, Seibert’s is giving the city $3 and keeping the remainder. It appears that the $27 kept by Seibert’s is unearned additional profit.
Seibert’s will tow approximately 9,000 illegally parked vehicles per year. It appears that the additional profit for Seibert’s as a result of your action will be approximately $243,000 per year.
My past inquiries to you and the mayor have been deferred to Ms. Victoria Benjamin, the general counsel for the city police department, who was in charge of obtaining the Seibert’s contract. Her belated responses have been incomplete, inaccurate, and unsatisfactory.
Ms. Benjamin seemed to claim that the addition money is compensation for services rendered by Seibert’s, but she did not specify the services. She also seemed to claim that Virginia Code Section 46.2 -1217 allows you, as chief administrative officer of the city, to increase the rate charged to a citizen by a private company.
I have two questions that I would like for you to answer personally:
1. What additional services is Seibert’s providing to earn $243,000 per year?
2. What specific provision of Section 46.2 – 1217 authorizes the city’s chief administrative officer to increase the towing rate charged to a citizen by a private company?
I look forward to receiving your response.
Sincerely yours,
C. Wayne Taylor
www.cwaynetaylor.wordpress.com
Links:
Letter From Victoria Benjamin Re Revenue
http://cwaynetaylor.wordpress.com/2010/09/17/towing-fees-letter-from-victoria-benjamin/
Letter From Victoria Benjamin Re Authority
http://cwaynetaylor.wordpress.com/2010/09/17/towing-fees-letter-from-victoria-benjamin-2/
Copy:
City Council
Press
Essential to a well managed government is that information flows freely from both the citizens to the government and from the government to the citizens. Moreover, citizens expect and deserve a responsive government.
–Mayor Dwight Jones
www.cwaynetaylor.wordpress.com/freedom-of-information
Three employees of the city of Richmond were found at home and other places when they should have been at work, according to two investigations by the city auditor’s office.
via timesdispatch.com.
Thu, August 5, 2010 6:30:40 AM
From: “Marshall, Byron C. – CAO” <Byron.Marshall@richmondgov.com>
To: cwaynetaylorMr. Taylor,
The City Attorney is the legal advisor and Counsel for the City of Richmond and reports directly to the City Council. As such, I must rely on that office to speak to purely legal matters such as those you raise in your email to me.
I will contact that office today regarding the questions you have posed and encourage a timely response to you..
Sincerely,
Byron C. Marshall
