Legally owning a cat or dog in Clark County might become more expensive next year.
Clark County hasn’t increased pet licensing fees in 13 years despite a rising population and a woefully understaffed animal control services, said Paul Scarpelli, county animal protection and control manager.
In previous years, Scarpelli said, he’s avoided calling for increased pet licensing fees. But with animal protection control services facing a $236,722 cut in the proposed 2017-2018 county budget, he said it’s time for dog and cat owners to kick over a little more.
“Clearly, there is no way we are providing the level of service we used to,” Scarpelli told The Columbian.
On Wednesday, Scarpelli unveiled his proposed fee increases to councilors, who had mixed reactions of skepticism or support.
Scarpelli offered two different proposals for fee increases, which would go into effect next year if approved. The first proposal would increase the current annual pet licensing fee for a dog from $40 to $50. Licenses for spayed or neutered dogs would increase from $16 to $25. For cats, the fee would rise from $20 to $30. For spayed and neutered cats, that would rise from $10 to $15.
Under the second proposal, fee increases for dogs would be the same as in the first proposal. Fees for cats would increase to $40. They would increase to $20 if the cat is spayed or neutered, practices the county incentivizes with lower fees. The first proposal would raise $255,605 in revenue. The second would raise $294,040.
“I’m asking you all to agree to raising our rates such that $294,000 in new income is generated from animal control,” Scarpelli told the council. Discounted fees for seniors and low-income individuals would be half of regular fees, Scarpelli told The Columbian.
He told the council that for much of the last decade only four county animal control officers have been on staff, responding to calls of runaway pets, aggressive dogs and other situations. He said they serve unincorporated Clark County and are contracted to serve Vancouver and Yacolt, and other jurisdictions call as the service is needed. He said current staffing levels haven’t kept pace with population increases and he described the situation as “miserable.”
The money generated from the fee increases would be used to hire a new officer and add a fifth vehicle to the current four. It also would pay for the purchase of radios, uniforms, computers and other supplies. Numbers provided by Scarpelli indicate that Clark County’s pet license fees are below what other counties in Oregon and Washington charge. For instance, in Snohomish County it costs twice as much to license a spayed or neutered cat.
Councilors Jeanne Stewart and Julie Olson seemed open to the idea of raising fees.
“I try to zoom out as to why we even have animal control, and we have it because the public demands it,” Stewart said at the hearing. “It’s statutorily required because there is a need for it.”
However, Councilors Tom Mielke and David Madore seemed reluctant to increase fees. Madore said that while he appreciated the importance of animal control, he suggested savings could be found elsewhere.
“To me, I think it’s counterproductive,” Madore said, noting that some pet owners may skip the fees if they were increased.
Scarpelli responded that his projections took into account anticipated fee dodgers.
Mielke asked why cats cost less to license than dogs, describing the arrangement as a “prejudice-type thing.”
Lynn Parker, a member of the Animal Protection and Control Advisory Board who was in attendance, said that families that have cats often have more than one, which is why fees are lower.
Scarpelli offered to come up with a third option that would have a uniform fee of $50 for both cats and dogs. The fee would be $25 for spayed or neutered pets. But Stewart said that raising the fee from $10 to $25 for a cat was too steep of an increase.
“We could charge by the pound,” suggested Mielke to laughter.
