On a 4-1 vote Tuesday, the Clark County council approved an increase to pet licensing fees, the first time since 2004 that the county has asked pet owners to pay more money to cover the cost of animal control services.
The increased fees are expected to generate about $237,000 over the next two years and will better fund the county’s beleaguered animal control services, allowing it, among other things, to hire an additional officer.
Under the new fee structure, the license fee for a spayed or neutered dog will increase from $16 to $25. Fees for spayed or neutered cats will increase from $10 to $20. For dogs that haven’t been spayed or neutered, the increase will be from $40 to $50. For cats that haven’t been spayed or neutered, the increase is from $20 to $40.
The increase kicks in Feb. 1 and affects pet owners in Vancouver, Yacolt and unincorporated Clark County. Discounts for low-income households and people over 65 will still be offered. Not licensing a pet carries a $100 fine.
“It’s always a struggle when we talk about licensing fees for pets,” Councilor Jeanne Stewart remarked during the hearing.
In November, the council, faced with a budget gap for animal control services, discussed raising the fees. Paul Scarpelli, county animal protection and control manager, told the council at the time that Clark County’s fees are lower than comparable or nearby counties and weren’t keeping pace with increased demand.
The same month, Scarpelli submitted an ordinance, which was approved by the council, that made a number of updates to the county’s animal control code. However, he forgot to include in the ordinance provisions that would increase pet licensing fees, even though the adopted 2017-2018 budget reflected increased revenue from the hikes.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Scarpelli acknowledged the mistake, saying “all blame should be pointed at me.” Councilor Julie Olson acknowledged that the council had intended to approve the increase. But Councilor Eileen Quiring, who began her term last month, was reluctant and asked Scarpelli about how his department had notified the public about the need for pet licenses.
“Not as well as we would like, obviously, given our compliance rate with the citizenry here,” replied Scarpelli, who noted that about 30 percent of dog owners and less than 10 percent of cat owners were compliant with licensing requirements.
Quiring, who cast the only vote against the increase, suggested including an explanation of pet licensing requirements in property assessments and tax bills sent to residents each year. But Scarpelli said that similar efforts in the past produced “absolutely no blip.”
After the meeting, Quiring told The Columbian that she voted against the fee increase out of concerns that it was too steep and too sudden after remaining flat for over a dozen years. She said that responsible pet owners, who pay the fees, would end up being penalized by the increase.
“I think that there has to be a better effort to inform pet owners,” she said.
