Vancouver City Council

CITY OF VANCOUVER

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date:

October 12, 2004

Author:

Alena Straka

Phone No.:

871.6683

RTS No.:

04587

CC File No.:

1755

Meeting Date:

November 2, 2004

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Chief License Inspector in consultation with the Director of Finance

SUBJECT:

Year 2005 Animal Control Dog License Fee Amendments

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT the license fees for unaltered dogs, contained in the Schedule of Fees and Charges of By-law No. 7528, be increased for Year 2005 from $44 to $54 if paid on or before March 1 and from $54 to $64 if paid after March 1;

B. THAT the license fees for spayed/neutered dogs, contained in the Schedule of Fees and Charges of By-law No. 7528, be increased for Year 2005 from $24 to $25 if paid on or before March 1 and from $34 to $35 if paid after March 1;

C. THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to prepare the necessary By-law amendments to the Animal Control By-Law No. 7528 to implement the revised Schedule of Fees and Charges to be effective January 1, 2005.

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The General Managers of Corporate and Community Services RECOMMEND approval of the above.

COUNCIL POLICY

It is Council policy that fees and charges be established on the basis of the cost of providing the associated services or at a market level where the service is provided in a market environment.

It is Council policy that new or expanded service costs be fully offset by expenditure reductions or new revenues.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to update the Animal Control dog license fees for 2005. This includes increasing the license fee to own, harbour or possess a spayed/neutered dog by $1.00 and an unaltered dog by $10.

BACKGROUND

In May, 2004, Council endorsed the Animal Control Services Strategic Plan as a guide for staff action to improve Animal Control Services in the City of Vancouver. The actions are targeted to improve safety and public comfort, address animal welfare concerns, and improve the shelter facility, equipment and care of impounded animals. The administrative and procedural changes outlined in the Animal Control Services Strategic Plan are to be implemented over the next five years.

Dog license fees in the City of Vancouver, the most significant source of revenue for Animal Control, were last increased in 1994. Fees have remained low to encourage licensing of dogs and also to stay in line with other GVRD municipalities. Appendix A shows a comparison of dog license fees (2004) for select municipalities in the Lower Mainland.

Further to Council's endorsement of the Animal Control Services Strategic Plan, the successful implementation of the actions therein require the achievement of a higher level of licensing revenue for each successive year of the Plan. The financial goal of the Plan is to recover the increased annual costs for Animal Control Services from an increase in annual dog licensing fee revenues by 2009. This includes annual dog license fee increases, as proposed in this report, along with a greater focus on increasing the number of licenses purchased through greater licensing compliance, more effective license canvassing and a variety of initiatives to make licenses easier for the dog owner to obtain (such as staggered licensing renewal system and lifetime dog tags).

DISCUSSION

Animal Control By-law No. 7528 stipulates that all dogs in the City of Vancouver over the age of three (3) months must have a valid dog license. Currently, annual license fees for dogs that have not been spayed or neutered are $44 if paid on or before March 1 and $54 if paid after March 1. Annual license fees for spayed or neutered dogs are $24 if paid on or before March 1 and $34 if paid after March 1.

This report recommends that the license fees for unaltered dogs, contained in section (1) of the Schedule of Fees and Charges of By-law No. 7528, be increased by $10 for the Year 2005. This is a first step in dealing with the City's problem of dog overpopulation as the proposed fee increase is believed to be significant enough to encourage more owners of unaltered dogs to have their pet spayed or neutered. A greater license fee increase may be necessary in future years to make this action even more economically viable for owners of unaltered dogs. The proposed higher fees for unaltered dogs are supported by animal welfare groups.

This report also recommends that the license fees for spayed/neutered dogs, contained in section (2) of the Schedule of Fees and Charges of By-law No. 7528, be increased by $1 for the Year 2005. This relatively small fee increase is intended to raise some additional revenue for Animal Control while minimizing the impact on dog license sales. A greater fee increase could dissuade dog owners from purchasing a license for their pet, ultimately resulting in the sale of fewer licenses.

The following table outlines the existing and proposed dog license fees for Year 2005:

Current and Proposed (2005) Dog License Fees (Fee Schedule "A")

License Category

Current
Fee ($)

Proposed
Fee ($)

Unaltered Dog
(if paid on or before March 1)

44.00

54.00

Unaltered Dog
(if paid after March 1)

54.00

64.00

Spayed/Neutered Dog
(if paid on or before March 1)

24.00

25.00

Spayed/Neutered Dog
(if paid after March 1)

34.00

35.00

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The financial goal of the Animal Control Strategic Plan is to recover the increased annual cost from an increase in annual dog licensing fee revenues by 2009. The proposed dog license fee increases for Year 2005 will result in approximately $25,000 in increased revenue. Additional revenue for 2005 is expected to be generated through an increase in the number of licenses purchased. This will be achieved through certain initiatives focusing on greater licensing compliance, more effective license canvassing and making licenses easier for dog owners to obtain.

CONCLUSION

Recognizing the need for Animal Control Services to achieve a higher level of licensing revenue in each successive year of the Plan and the fact that dog licenses were last adjusted in 1994, this report proposes a $10.00 license fee increase for unaltered dogs and a $1.00 license fee increase for spayed/neutered dogs for the Year 2005.

This is the first of a series of reports to be presented to Council in the near future dealing with amendments to Animal Control By-law No. 7528 and enforcement issues relating to Animal Control.

- - - - -

APPENDIX A
PAGE 1 OF 1

COMPARISON OF DOG LICENSE FEES IN THE GVRD (Year 2004)

Municipality

Unaltered Dog
Fee before Mar. 1st

Unaltered Dog
Fee after Mar. 1^st

Altered Dog Fee before Mar. 1^st

Altered Dog Fee after Mar. 1^st

Vancouver

$44

$54

$24

$34

Burnaby

$40

$50

$15

$25

Coquitlam

$40

$55

$22

$37

New West

$40

$50

$15

$20

Richmond

$46

$50

$16

$20

Surrey

$35

$45

$15

$25

Notes:

Surrey and Richmond offer discounted dog license fees for seniors.

Richmond charges license fees for dogs 6 months+.

Coquitlam's discount date is April 1^st.

* * * *


CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
	Date:	October 12, 2004
	Author:	Alena Straka
	Phone No.:	871.6683
	RTS No.:	04587
	CC File No.:	1755
	Meeting Date:	November 2, 2004

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Chief License Inspector in consultation with the Director of Finance
SUBJECT:	Year 2005 Animal Control Dog License Fee Amendments

License Category	Current Fee ($)	Proposed Fee ($)
Unaltered Dog (if paid on or before March 1)	44.00	54.00
Unaltered Dog (if paid after March 1)	54.00	64.00
Spayed/Neutered Dog (if paid on or before March 1)	24.00	25.00
Spayed/Neutered Dog (if paid after March 1)	34.00	35.00

Municipality	Unaltered Dog Fee before Mar. 1st	Unaltered Dog Fee after Mar. 1^st	Altered Dog Fee before Mar. 1^st	Altered Dog Fee after Mar. 1^st
Vancouver	$44	$54	$24	$34
Burnaby	$40	$50	$15	$25
Coquitlam	$40	$55	$22	$37
New West	$40	$50	$15	$20
Richmond	$46	$50	$16	$20
Surrey	$35	$45	$15	$25