Once again, the city of Dallas ponders privatizing the police auto ...

The Dallas Auto Pound on Vilbig Road in West Dallas (Roberto M. Sanchez/Al Dia)

In 2010 the city of Dallas sought requests from parties interested in taking over operations of the Dallas Auto Pound on Vilbig Road in West Dallas, between W. Commerce Street and Fort Worth Avenue. Efforts to privatize the pound (and sell its 50 acres) eventually stalled, but yesterday on its inscrutable bids website the city said it?s willing to give the proposal another spin.

According to the brief document posted to the site Thursday, on March 29 the city?s hosting a chitchat at Dallas City Hall with ?qualified interested parties? who?d willing to ?contribute their insight and expertise to the feasibility of privatizing three components that make up the auto pound operation: auto pound management, towing operations and auto auction.?

The document says the Dallas Police Department-controlled pound employs about 25 civilians and 16 sworn officers.

Three years ago the city considered privatizing the pound to cut costs: As Steve Thompson noted at the time, it made a net profit of around $3.2 million annually but cost around $9 million to operate. We?re awaiting current numbers.

Right now, it costs a person about $140 if they pick up their car the same day it?s towed for whatever reason. But the cost goes up every day a car?s left in the pound ? $20 per day, plus an additional $50 for a notification letter that?s sent out after 48 hours. According to yesterday?s posting, during the 2011-12 fiscal year about 35,000 police-related tows made their way to the pound, and they find their way to Vilbig courtesy the 37 tow companies the city has OK?d to do business there.

Some, of course, are auctioned off: Last year, says the city, it sold about 6,100 cars parked at the pound, and at auction ?the average value per car is currently $825.?

Says the city?s invitation to the pre-bid meeting, ?The City seeks open feedback in a roundtable format as to how privatization can benefit the City for each component. This discussion will assist the City in decision making when considering privatization of these components and possibly the eventual issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP).?

Source: http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2013/03/once-again-the-city-of-dallas-ponders-privatizing-the-police-auto-pound-in-west-dallas.html/

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