§3
C. 40:48-2.54 &
Note To
40A:11-5a &
40:20-1
§4
C. 40:48-2.55
§5
C. 56:8-2.26
§6
Repealer
P.L. 1997, CHAPTER 387, approved January 19, 1998
Senate, No. 1785 (First Reprint)
An Act concerning motor vehicle towing and storage charges, 1[amending P.L.1979, c.101 and P.L.1971, c.198 and repealing section 60 of P.L.1990, c.8] and revising parts of the statutory law1.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.1979, c.101 (C.40:48-2.49) is amended to read as follows:
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1973, c.137 (C.39:4-56.6) or any other law, [and except to the extent regulated by the Commissioner of Insurance pursuant to section 60 of P.L.1990, c.8 (C.17:33B-47),] a municipality may regulate, by ordinance, the removal of motor vehicles from private or public property by operators engaged in such practice, including, but not limited to, the fees charged for storage following removal in accordance with section 3 of P.L.1987, c.127 (C.40:48-2.50), fees charged for such removal, notice requirements therefor, and the mercantile licensing of such operators. The ordinance shall set forth non-discriminatory and non-exclusionary regulations governing operators engaged in the business of removing and storing motor vehicles. The regulations shall include, but not be limited to:
a. A schedule of fees or other charges which an operator may charge vehicle owners for towing services, storage services or both; b. Minimum standards of operator performance, including but not limited to standards concerning the adequacy of equipment and facilities, availability and response time, and the security of vehicles towed or stored;
c. The designation of a municipal officer or agency to enforce the provisions of the ordinance in accordance with due process of law;
d. The requirement that such regulations and fee schedules of individual towers shall be made available to the public during normal business hours of the municipality.
(cf: P.L.1991, c.142, s.3)
2. Section 5 of P.L.1971, c.198, s.5 (C.40A:11-5) is amended to read as follows:
5. Exceptions. Any purchase, contract or agreement of the character described in section 4 of P.L.1971, c.198 (C.40A:11-4) may be made, negotiated or awarded by the governing body without public advertising for bids and bidding therefor if:
(1) The subject matter thereof consists of:
(a) (i) Professional services. The governing body shall in each instance state supporting reasons for its action in the resolution awarding each contract and shall forthwith cause to be printed once, in a newspaper authorized by law to publish its legal advertisements, a brief notice stating the nature, duration, service and amount of the contract, and that the resolution and contract are on file and available for public inspection in the office of the clerk of the county or municipality, or, in the case of a contracting unit created by more than one county or municipality, of the counties or municipalities creating such contracting unit; or (ii) Extraordinary unspecifiable services. The application of this exception shall be construed narrowly in favor of open competitive bidding, where possible, and the Division of Local Government Services is authorized to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations limiting the use of this exception in accordance with the intention herein expressed. The governing body shall in each instance state supporting reasons for its action in the resolution awarding each contract and shall forthwith cause to be printed, in the manner set forth in subsection (1) (a) (i) of this section, a brief notice of the award of such contract;
(b) The doing of any work by employees of the contracting unit;
(c) The printing of legal briefs, records and appendices to be used in any legal proceeding in which the contracting party may be a party;
(d) The furnishing of a tax map or maps for the contracting party;
(e) The purchase of perishable foods as a subsistence supply;
(f) The supplying of any product or the rendering of any service by a public utility, which is subject to the jurisdiction of the Board of Public Utilities or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or its successor, in accordance with tariffs and schedules of charges made, charged or exacted, filed with the board or commission;
(g) The acquisition, subject to prior approval of the Attorney General, of special equipment for confidential investigation;
(h) The printing of bonds and documents necessary to the issuance and sale thereof by a contracting unit;
(i) Equipment repair service if in the nature of an extraordinary unspecifiable service and necessary parts furnished in connection with such service, which exception shall be in accordance with the requirements for extraordinary unspecifiable services;
(j) The publishing of legal notices in newspapers as required by law;
(k) The acquisition of artifacts or other items of unique intrinsic, artistic or historical character;
(l) Election expenses;
(m) Insurance, including the purchase of insurance coverage and consultant services, which exception shall be in accordance with the requirements for extraordinary unspecifiable services;
(n) The doing of any work by handicapped persons employed by a sheltered workshop;
(o) The provision of any service or the furnishing of materials including those of a commercial nature, attendant upon the operation of a restaurant by any nonprofit, duly incorporated, historical society at or on any historical preservation site;
(p) Homemaker--home health services performed by voluntary, nonprofit agencies;
(q) The purchase of materials and services for a law library established pursuant to R.S.40:33-14, including books, periodicals, newspapers, documents, pamphlets, photographs, reproductions, microforms, pictorial or graphic works, copyright and patent materials, maps, charts, globes, sound recordings, slides, films, film scripts, video and magnetic tapes, and other audiovisual, printed, or published material of a similar nature; necessary binding or rebinding of law library materials; and specialized library services;
(r) On-site inspections undertaken by private agencies pursuant to the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.) and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto;
(s) The marketing of recyclable materials recovered through a recycling program, or the marketing of any product intentionally produced or derived from solid waste received at a resource recovery facility or recovered through a resource recovery program, including, but not limited to, refuse-derived fuel, compost materials, methane gas, and other similar products;
(t) Emergency medical services provided by a hospital to the residents of a municipality or county, provided that: (a) such exception be allowed only after the governing body determines that the emergency services are available only from one provider; and (b) if the contract is awarded without advertising for bids or bidding the governing body shall in each instance state supporting reasons for its action in a resolution awarding the contract and cause to be printed once in a newspaper authorized by law to publish its legal advertisements a brief notice stating the nature, duration, service, and amount of the contract; and (c) the contract shall be kept on file for public inspection in the office of the clerk of the municipality;
(u) Contracting unit towing and storage contracts, provided that all such contracts shall be pursuant to reasonable non-exclusionary and non-discriminatory terms and conditions, which may include the provision of such services on a rotating basis, at the rates and charges set by the municipality pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1979, c.101 (C.40:48-2.49). All contracting unit towing and storage contracts for services to be provided at rates and charges other than those established pursuant to the terms of this paragraph shall only be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder in accordance with the provisions of the "Local Public Contracts Law" and without regard for the value of the contract therefor. [Each of the aforementioned means of contracting shall be subject to any regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Insurance pursuant to section 60 of P.L.1990, c.8 (C.17:33B-47)];
(v) The purchase of steam or electricity from, or the rendering of services directly related to the purchase of such steam or electricity from a qualifying small power production facility or a qualifying cogeneration facility as defined pursuant to 16 U.S.C.796;
(w) The purchase of electricity or administrative or dispatching services directly related to the transmission of such purchased electricity by a contracting unit engaged in the generation of electricity;
(x) The printing of municipal ordinances or other services necessarily incurred in connection with the revision and codification of municipal ordinances;
(y) An agreement for the purchase of an equitable interest in a water supply facility or for the provision of water supply services entered into pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1993, c.381 (C.58:28-2), or an agreement entered into pursuant to P.L.1989, c.109 (N.J.S.40A:31-1 et al.), so long as such agreement is entered into no later than six months after the effective date of P.L.1993, c.381;
(z) A contract for the provision of water supply services entered into pursuant to P.L.1995, c.101 (C.58:26-19 et al.);
(aa) The cooperative marketing of recyclable materials recovered through a recycling program; or
(bb) A contract for the provision of wastewater treatment services entered into pursuant to P.L.1995, c.216 (C.58:27-19 et al.).
(2) It is to be made or entered into with the United States of America, the State of New Jersey, county or municipality or any board, body, officer, agency or authority thereof and any other state or subdivision thereof.
(3) The contracting agent has advertised for bids pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1971, c.198 (C.40A:11-4) on two occasions and (a) has received no bids on both occasions in response to its advertisement, or (b) the governing body has rejected such bids on two occasions because the contracting agent has determined that they are not reasonable as to price, on the basis of cost estimates prepared for or by the contracting agent prior to the advertising therefor, or have not been independently arrived at in open competition, or (c) on one occasion no bids were received pursuant to (a) and on one occasion all bids were rejected pursuant to (b), in whatever sequence; any such contract or agreement may then be negotiated and may be awarded upon adoption of a resolution by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the authorized membership of the governing body authorizing such contract or agreement; provided, however, that:
(i) A reasonable effort is first made by the contracting agent to determine that the same or equivalent materials or supplies, at a cost which is lower than the negotiated price, are not available from an agency or authority of the United States, the State of New Jersey or of the county in which the contracting unit is located, or any municipality in close proximity to the contracting unit;
(ii) The terms, conditions, restrictions and specifications set forth in the negotiated contract or agreement are not substantially different from those which were the subject of competitive bidding pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1971, c.198 (C.40A:11-4); and
(iii) Any minor amendment or modification of any of the terms, conditions, restrictions and specifications, which were the subject of competitive bidding pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1971, c.198 (C.40A:11-4), shall be stated in the resolution awarding such contract or agreement; provided further, however, that if on the second occasion the bids received are rejected as unreasonable as to price, the contracting agent shall notify each responsible bidder submitting bids on the second occasion of its intention to negotiate, and afford each bidder a reasonable opportunity to negotiate, but the governing body shall not award such contract or agreement unless the negotiated price is lower than the lowest rejected bid price submitted on the second occasion by a responsible bidder, is the lowest negotiated price offered by any responsible supplier, and is a reasonable price for such work, materials, supplies or services.
Whenever a contracting unit shall determine that a bid was not arrived at independently in open competition pursuant to subsection (3) of this section it shall thereupon notify the county prosecutor of the county in which the contracting unit is located and the Attorney General of the facts upon which its determination is based, and when appropriate, it may institute appropriate proceedings in any State or federal court of competent jurisdiction for a violation of any State or federal antitrust law or laws relating to the unlawful restraint of trade.
(cf: P.L.1995, c.216, s.11)
13. (New section) a. The governing body of municipality or county which requires the towing and storage of motor vehicles without the consent of the owners of those vehicles shall adopt an ordinance or resolution, as appropriate, setting forth a model schedule of towing and storage services which they require and the rates therefor, which rates shall be based on the usual, customary and reasonable rates of operators towing and storing motor vehicles in the municipality or county, as applicable.
b. The governing body of every municipality or county setting forth a schedule of services and rates pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall implement a procedure to receive complaints and resolve disputes arising from the towing and storage of motor vehicles required by that municipality or county without the consent of the owner.1
14. (New section) a. The Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety may establish a model schedule of towing and storage services identifying those services for which a fee may be charged by the governing body of a municipality or county. This model schedule, if established, shall be provided, upon request, to any municipality or county.
b. Each governing body that is required to adopt a resolution or ordinance pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (now before the Legislature as this bill) shall submit its schedule of services and rates for the towing and storage of motor vehicles to the Division of Consumer Affairs for review within 90 days of the effective date of this act, or within 90 days of the adoption of that ordinance or resolution, whichever is later.1
15. (New section) It shall be an unlawful practice and a violation of P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.) for any person to charge rates which are discriminatory or are not usual, customary and reasonable rates for the towing and storage of motor vehicles as provided in section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (now before the Legislature as this bill).1
1[3.] 6.1 Section 60 of P.L.1990, c.8 (C.17:33B-47) is repealed.
1[4.] 7.1 This act shall take effect immediately.
Expands municipal authority over motor vehicle towing and storage charges.