Title
A Resolution Rescinding Resolution No. 18-11 and Establishing Licensing Fees for Cats and Dogs and Redemption Fees for Impounded Animals
Presenter:
Charae McDaniel, Chief Financial Officer
Body
Summary:
The attached fee resolution establishes updated fees for cat and dog licensing and redemption fees for impounded animals, effective January 1, 2021.
Background:
The City contracts with the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) for animal law enforcement (ALE) and sheltering services. The HSPPR also collects and retains revenue for dog licenses, permits, impounds and other associated fees to offset the cost of providing animal law enforcement and sheltering services within the City. The cat license fees retained by HSPPR are used for humane cat services provided by HSPPR and are not used to offset the animal control contract.
As costs of animal law enforcement and sheltering services have increased over recent years, the associated fees meant to partially offset the costs have not been increased since 2011. The proposed increase to animal licensing, permit, and registration fees are intended to partially fund increased animal law enforcement costs as well as fully fund the cost of inspections associated with animal permits that require property inspection.
Cat and dog license fees were last updated effective 1/31/11 with Res 18-11, and the increases were nominal and did not exceed $5.00 per license type. There were no changes to the fees for licenses obtained by citizens over age 65.
In addition to the cat and dog licensing fees, the following permit and registration fees are outlined in City code: Potbellied Pig Registration (6.7.110); Exotic Animal Permit (6.7.112); Dangerous Animal License (6.7.119); Hoofed Pet Registration (6.8.108); and, Pigeon Loft Permit (6.11.103). All of these fees require an annual property inspection, except the Hoofed Pet and Pot Bellied Pig registration as they are paid as a one-time registration fee. The permit and registration fees outlined in City code have not been updated since each permit fee was established, dating back to 1991 for dangerous and exotic animals, 1997 for pigeon lofts, 2006 for potbellied pigs, and 2014 for hoofed pets.
Attachment A provides a comparison of current fees to proposed fees.
The proposed fees have been compared to other cities in Colorado as well as cities with a similar population to Colorado Springs and in general, where other cities have established a similar license or permit, the proposed fees are comparable. The comparison of fees can be found in Attachment B.
Previous Council Action:
City Council approved revisions to the Licensing Fees for Cats and Dogs by Resolution No. 18-11 with an effective date of January 31, 2011.
Financial Implications:
The proposed dog and cat license fees are increasing $5.00 each, and fee increases for licenses obtained by citizens over age 65 do not exceed $3.00. Of this proposed increase, as part of an effort to encourage licensing efforts by veterinary clinics, the amount of the license fee that is retained by clinics as reimbursement for issuing the license will increase from $1.00 to $2.00. The proposed fee increases have been kept low to encourage compliance and are in line with previous increases by the City.
The proposed increase in the various permit and registration fees outlined in City Code are more significant, ranging from $50 to $75. These fee increases are reflective of the effort and resources spent by animal law enforcement staff to inspect the property where the animals are kept, which often includes repeat trips to the property as follow up inspections are required.
In addition to the above increases, the proposal includes an increase to the late renewal fee from $10.00 to $20.00, with no change to late fees for licenses obtained by citizens over age 65.
There are no proposed increases to the impound and boarding fees currently being charged as the City and HSPPR do not want to create additional barriers to citizens being able to reclaim their pets.
The estimated annual revenue impact for the proposed increases to the licensing and permit fees net of the amount retained by veterinary clinics is $86,180.
City Council Appointed Board/Commission/Committee Recommendation:
The proposed fee changes were reviewed with the City Council Budget Committee at the September 8, 2020 meeting.
Stakeholder Process:
Upon approval of the first reading of the Ordinance and Resolution by City Council, HSPPR will provide notice on their website of the fee changes, mail notices to the Veterinary Clinics within the City, and provide additional notice to current holders of dangerous, exotic, hoofed, and potbelly pig permits of the fee change.
Alternatives:
City Council could choose to deny, or modify the proposed Resolution.
Recommended Action
Proposed Motion:
Move to approve the attached resolution repealing Resolution No. 18-11 and establishing licensing fees for cats and dogs and redemption fees for impounded animals
Summary of Ordinance Language
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