Grateful Dogs of Juneau

 Action Update

October 7, 2017

Schedule of GDOJ Events for Fall-Winter 2017

Annual Pet Food Drive

December  11 - 17 

A 2017 Year of Kindness Event

 

 

 

 

 

 

CBJ  Assembly Meeting

7 pm Monday, October 16

Assembly will take action on

CBJ Resolution 2809  Animal Control Services Fees

News

 

 

PROPOSED ANIMAL LICENSE AND IMPOUND FEES INCREASES  CBJ Resolution 2809

The CBJ Assembly accepted our request to delay adoption of the proposed animal control services fees until the Assembly’s next regular meeting on Monday, October 16.  The Assembly deferred action on the proposed fees so that the public can review and comment on the proposals. 

Here is a link to information about the substance of proposal: https://packet.cbjak.org/AttachmentViewer.ashx?AttachmentID=7960&ItemID=4523  

Grateful Dogs of Juneau has reviewed the proposed changes to the animal control fees and is recommending the following changes to the proposal currently before the Assembly:

·       Impound-boarding fees be set at a flat rate for all dogs regardless of the dog’s reproductive status.

·       Impound-boarding fees for dangerous, potentially dangerous, and bite-quarantine animals be set at a flat rate for all dogs regardless of the dog’s reproductive status.

·       Impound-boarding fees be imposed after the first 24 hours following the impound.

·       A kennel registration requirement not be a prerequisite for group dog licenses.

·       The group dog license fee be raised to $6.50 per dog. 

·       Fees for Animal Control Services be set by either ordinance or regulation rather than by resolution.

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The rationale underlying these recommendations are discussed below.

COMMENTS REGARDING PROPOSED CHANGES TO CBJ ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES FEES.    (CBJ Resolution 2809)

The current animal services control fees have been in effect since 2001.  Since that time, the cost of everything has increased.  Fee increases are to be expected. 

Nonetheless, the proposed changes deserve careful consideration.  Not only are the amount of fees being changed, the structure of the fees are being significantly altered.

Key issues raised by the proposed fee increases are as follows:

LICENSE TRANSFER FEE.  The $2.50 fee for transfer of a dog license is repealed. 

IMPOUND FEE.  The impound fee for the first and second offense in a calendar year is raised from $30 and $50 to $50 and $60 respectively.

IMPOUND-BOARDING FEES.  The most significant changes to the fee schedule involves the impound-boarding fees – the fees charged for boarding impounded animals before the animal is reclaimed by its owner.  The current fees are $10 per day until the animal’s owner is contacted; once the owner has been contacted, the impound-boarding fee increases to $15 per day.  The proposed fee schedule would significantly increase impound-boarding fees – 300% to 800%.

The proposed impound-boarding fees creates a unique sliding fee schedule based on the reproductive status of the animal.  Altered (spayed/neutered) animals pay the lowest fee, unaltered (intact) animals would pay a higher fee, and animals in season would pay an even higher fee.

GRATEFUL DOGS OF JUNEAU:  The information provided by CBJ does not explain why the cost of boarding an animal varies with the reproductive status of the animal.   Our research shows that no other major community in Alaska sets impound-boarding fees based on an animal’s reproductive status. 

It is not always easy to determine whether a dog has been neutered.  For male dogs there are new nonsurgical techniques for sterilizing males that does not involve castration, so the traditional procedure of determining the presence or absence of testicles is no longer a guaranteed method for determined whether a dog has been neutered.  It is more complicated to determine whether a female has been neutered.  The presence of an abdominal spay scar is the usual evidence of a spay, but it is not entirely reliable.  Depending on the technique used in performing the spay, a spay scar will be more or less visible.  A spay scar will become more difficult to see over time.  Scars from a laparoscopic spay could be virtually impossible to see. The ability to see a spay scar also varies with skill of the person doing the examination, the conditions under which the examination occurs, and the willingness of the dog to be examined.  Dogs with thick coats will be more difficult to examine for the presence of a spay scar. 

A simple flat fee for impound-boarding fees is most appropriate for Juneau unless a reasonable justification can be provided to support the proposed sliding scale fee structure.  A flat rate impound-boarding fee structure will simplify the administration and collection of the fee and reduce the workload on Animal Control staff who are already very busy.

New impound-boarding fee schedules are also proposed for dangerous dogs and bite-quarantines for dogs and cats.  The fees for bite quarantine impounds are also subject to a sliding fee schedules based on reproductive status of the animal.  The impound-boarding fee for an in-season animal will be 800% of the current impound-boarding fee.

The impound-boarding fee for dangerous dogs is a simple flat rate ($50 per day) regardless of whether the dog is neutered, intact, or in season.

GRATEFUL DOGS OF JUNEAU:  If a sliding scale fee structure based on reproductive status for impound-boarding fees is not appropriate for dangerous dogs, then why would such a sliding fee be appropriate for bite-quarantine animals?  Animal Control designates dogs as dangerous based on their past behavior.  Dogs impounded for bite-quarantine are not necessarily dangerous dogs.  Unless a reasonable justification can be shown that bite-quarantine dogs need to be treated differently from dangerous dogs, a simple uniform flat rate impound boarding fee is recommended for bite-quarantines and dangerous dogs.

The impound-boarding fee is imposed from the moment that a dog is impounded for each day or part of a day that the dog is in the shelter. 

GRATEFUL DOGS OF JUNEAU:  By imposing an impound-boarding fee from the moment that an animal is impounded, the cost of reclaiming an animal from Animal Control will be substantially increased for most animals which are quickly reclaimed by their owners.  Even animals that are held for a few hours without an overnight stay in the pound are liable for the impound-boarding fee, as well as the impound fee.   Thus to reclaim a dog that is immediately picked up by its owners from the pound, the owners would be subject to at least the $50 impound fee for a first time impound and the $30 basic impound-boarding fee.  The total cost of reclaiming their dog would be a minimum of $80. 

To avoid the imposition of such high fees to reclaim a lost pet that has been impounded for a short period, the impound-boarding fee should not be imposed until the dog has been impounded for at least 24 hours.  The delayed imposition of the impound-boarding fee would give a pet owner a grace period of 24 hours to recover their pet without incurring the impound-boarding fee.

The current fee schedule provides that the impound-boarding fee increases after the owner of the animal is informed that the animal has been impounded.  This provision provides an incentive to Animal Control to promptly notify owners that their animal is in the custody of Animal Control.  The proposed changes being considered by the CBJ Assembly would eliminate the incentive for Animal Control to contact owners.

GROUP LICENSE FEE.  The group license fee allows a person with 6 or more dogs to obtain licenses for their dogs at a reduced fee of $5 per dog.  The proposed changes to the group license fee would impose a requirement that the group be registered as a kennel.  Currently, there is no existing procedure for registering kennels.  A registration process would have to be established to implement the registration requirement.  It is probably not cost effective to establish a kennel registration process for the limited amount of revenue generated by the group license fee.  A kennel registration requirement would also discourage these animal owners from licensing their dogs.

GRATEFUL DOGS OF JUNEAU:  A kennel registration requirement is not an appropriate prerequisite for group dog licenses.

The group license fee is $5 per dog.  That fee has not changed since it was established in 2001.  Dog license fees for other dog owners were increased last year by 20-40 %.  If the group dog license fee was increased by a similar amount, the group license fee would be about $6.50 per dog. 

GRATEFUL DOGS OF JUNEAU:  The fee for a group dog license can be raised to $6.50 per dog in order to maintain parity with fees for other dog licenses.

*        *       *

PROCESS FOR SETTING ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES FEES.  Municipal ordinance provides that animal control services fees be set by Assembly resolution.  However, the resolution adoption process does not include substantive public notice and opportunity to comment on proposed fee changes.  Because there was not an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed animal control service fees before the fees were presented to the Assembly at the September meeting, Grateful Dogs of Juneau requested that Assembly action on the proposed fees be deferred in order for the public to have an opportunity to comment. 

Public notice and opportunity to comment are fundamental elements of the ordinance adoption process and the regulation adoption process.  If the proposed animal control fees had been proposed through the ordinance or regulation process, public notice and opportunity to comment would have been assured. 

Animal control services fees affect 1000’s of Juneau households that have dogs, cats, and other animals.  These households deserve an opportunity to be informed of proposed fees changes that will affect them.  By abandoning the resolution process for setting animal control fees in favor of a more open ordinance adoption process or regulation adoption process, the Assembly can  avoid future instances where the Assembly must delay action on agenda items to provide the public an opportunity to familiarize itself with an issue before the Assembly.  Increased public involvement in animal control services matters before they come to the Assembly will facilitate an efficient Assembly process and promote public understanding and support for 10hose matters.

GRATEFUL DOGS OF JUNEAU:  The adoption of Animal Control Services fees by ordinance or regulation is preferable to the current procedure of adopting those fees by Assembly resolution.  It is important that the public have advanced notice and 50portunity to comment on proposed animal control services fees before they are adopted by CBJ.  The ordinance and regulation adoption processes both provide the appropriate notice and opportunity to comment.  The process for adopt of Assembly resolutions does not provide adequate notice and opportunity to comment.

If you have any comments regarding the proposed changes to license fees, please contact the city manager or an Assembly member as soon as possible this coming week.  After Thursday night it may be too late to have your say incorporated into the packet provided to Assembly members for the meeting next week (October 16).   

Contact: Assistant City Manager 

Mila Cosgrove:  Mila.Cosgrove@juneau.org

Contact Assembly Members:

Mayor Ken Koelsch  Ken.Koelsch@juneau.org

Jerry Nankervis  Jerry.Nankervis@juneau.org

Maria Gladziszewski    Maria.Gladziszewski@juneau.org

Norton Gregory   Norton.Gregory@juneau.org

Mary Becker  Mary.Becker@juneau.org

Loren Jones   Loren.Jones@juneau.org

Jesse Kiehl   Jesse.Kiehl@juneau.org

Beth Weldon    Beth.Weldon@juneau.org

 

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ADDITIONAL ISSUES RAISED BY THE CBJ ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES FEES, GENERALLY.

DOG LICENSE LATE FEES.  The exemptions from the late fees for dog licenses and special licenses for dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs must be rewritten so that the provisions relating to dog owners who relocate to Juneau are comprehensible.

 

For example:   “A late fee of $15.00 shall be added to the license fee for any license issued after March 31st unless  .  .  .  the owner relocated to the City and Borough within 30 days immediately prior to that date [???].”

GRATEFUL DOGS OF JUNEAU:  Given this language, it is impossible to determine when a new resident of Juneau must pay a late fee to license his dog after March 31.

 

IMPOUND FEE.  The impound fee varies with the number of times that a dog is impounded within a calendar year.  A dog that has been impounded four or more times in a calendar year pays an impound fee or $100 per incident.  

The escalating fee schedule for multiple impounds is an incentive for dog owners to maintain control of their dogs so that their dogs do not run at large.  However, a repeat offender gets a fresh start at the beginning of each calendar year, even though the dog may have been impounded numerous times in the preceding month.  By calculating the amount of the impound fee based on the number of times that a dog has been impounded within a calendar year, the escalating fee schedule for repeat impounds loses much of its value as a deterrent.   

 

If a dog is being impounded repeatedly, then the fee for repeated impounds should be based on the impound history of the dog for the previous 12 months and not during the current calendar year.

 

GRATEFUL DOGS OF JUNEAU:  It is recommended that the amount of the impound fee be based on the number of impounds within the preceding 12 months instead of the number of impounds within a calendar year.

 

REDUCED DOG LICENSE FEES FOR CERTAIN DOGS OVER 6 MONTHS OF AGE.   CBJ provides that neutered male and female dogs over 6 months are eligible for a reduced dog license fee.  In the last 20 years veterinary research has shown that for large breed dogs (ie, St. Bernards, Great Danes, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, etc.), which do not mature until 12 – 24 months of age, neutering prior to maturity adversely affects their health and longevity, by increasing their susceptibility to canine cancers and orthopedic injuries.   The health risks associated with early neutering are largely avoided by delaying neutering until the dog has reached maturity.  The usual measure of maturity is the age at which the growth plates in the long bones of the legs have sealed.  Because different breeds achieve maturity at different ages, the ideal age for neutering varies with each breed.  By denying a reduced dog license fee for unneutered dogs over 6 months of age, CBJ is encouraging dog owners to prematurely neuter large breed dogs to the long term detriment of the dog. 

 

GRATEFUL DOGS OF JUNEAU:  CBJ should adopt a dog license fee schedule that does not materially and adversely affect the dogs that it licenses, by allowing large breed dogs to be licensed at a reduced fee until the dog reaches an appropriate age to be neutered.  Understandably, it may be difficult to establish and administer a dog license fee schedule that varies with the breed or parentage of the dog.  However, Grateful Dogs of Juneau is prepared to cooperate with the CBJ in developing a functional and workable system for dog license fees that promotes the long term health of dogs in the community by not promoting the pre-mature neutering of large breed dogs.

 


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Grateful Dogs of Juneau

P.O. Box 20887 | Juneau | AK | 99802

E-mail us at gd-info@gratefuldogsofjuneau.org

Website:  http://www.gratefuldogsofjuneau.org/

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Grateful Dogs of Juneau, Inc | P.O. Box 20887 | Juneau | AK | 99802