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Home My WebLink About- - Proposed Increase to Animal License Fee - 7/6/2010CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: July 6, 2010 ITEM NUMBER: SUBJECT: Proposed Increase to the Animal License Fee DATE: July 1, 2010 FROM: City Manager's Department PRESENTATION Allan L. Roeder BY: City Manager FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Allan L. Roeder CONTACT: (714) 754-5328 RECOMMENDATION: Adopt Resolution No. increasing Animal License Fees. BACKGROUND: At the Special City Council meeting of June 22, 2010, the City Council took a series of actions related to adoption of the FY 2010-11 Operating & Capital Improvement budget. Among the actions taken were a series of directives to staff to bring forward specific revenue measures for future consideration. The following motion (per the Action Minutes published by the City Clerk) was adopted relating to Animal License fees: 5. Directed staff to bring back for consideration the raising of animal licensing fees to the county average. MONAHAN/FOLEY ALL AYES. MOTION CARRIED. Authority to adopt and collect a license fee is set forth in Government Code section 38792. More specifically, the Government Code sets forth the following: "The legislative body of a city may impose and collect an annual license not exceeding the cost of services relating to dogs, including but not limited to animal shelters and control, provided by the city, on every dog owned or harbored within the city limits. The annual license fee for spayed bitches shall be fifty percent of the license fee otherwise imposed." 1 ANALYSIS: The licensing of animals is assigned to the Animal Control section of the Police Department. As a result of recent staffing changes, the Finance Department is assuming responsibility for licensing both renewals and new licenses. Based on current licensing records, there are approximately 3,715 dogs licensed in Costa Mesa. National statistics indicate a ratio of 4.25 humans to each dog but estimates vary widely. While this ratio cannot be applied accurately to the local canine population due to other variables, it does strongly suggest the City is behind in the licensing of dogs. The adopted Animal Control budget for FY 2010-11 is $468,534 which is a decrease of 1 % over the prior fiscal year and a substantial decrease over the three previous fiscal years. In terms of calls for service, 80% of all Animal Control calls are dog related (barking, off -leash, bite -related complaints, etc.). Revenues currently collected from Animal Licensing amount to $38,280 or approximately 8% of the cost of animal control services. As recommended upon adoption of the FY 2010-11 Operating Budget, increasing licensing revenue must be accompanied by a strong canvassing program to increase the numbers of dogs licensed. The following license schedule of Animal License fees Countywide was updated in May 2010. As depicted below the average license fee is $74.68 for Unaltered, $20 for Altered dogs. There is also a discount for seniors licensing their dogs at a County average of $9.89. 2 CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA OranngeCounty�Citi�Annn~a ogLicense Fees -Updated May, 2010 City Unaltered Altered Sr. Disc -Alt. Sr. Disc-Unalt. Late Fee Anaheim 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Brea " 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Cypress 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Fountain Valley. 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Fullerton' 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Garden Grove " 100.00 124.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Huntington Beach ' 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Laguna Hills' 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Lake Forest ` 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 La Palma' 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Orange * 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Placentia " 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Rancho Santa Margarita ' 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 San Juan Capistrano 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Stanton " 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Tustin' 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Villa Park' 100.00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Yorba Linda' 100,00 24.00 12.00 NIA 41.00 Santa Ana` 100.00 24.00 12,00 NIA 41.00 La Habra 60.00 20.00 7.50 7.50 20.00 Westminster 50.00 13.00 6.50 NIA 25.00 Irvine 50.00 20.00 10.00 18.00 lic fee cWd 20.00, >60d 2x Buena Park 40.00 13.00 6.50 13.00 37.00 Los Alamitos 60.00 18.00 9.00 NIA 25.00 Seal Beach 36.00 18.00 9.00 18.00 25.00 Laguna Niguel 36.00 18.00 9.00 max 3 total 18.00 max 3 total 5.001mo, 25.00 max Mission Viepo 36.00 18.00 9.00 max 3 total 18.00 max 3 total 6.001mo, 25.00 max San Clemente 30.00 15.00 8.00 1500 20.00 <6 mo 15.00, a 6 mo Dana Point 30.00 15.00 8.00 15.00 20.00 a6 mo 15.00, >6 mo Laguna Beach 24.00 12.00 15.00 12.00 15.00 Costa Mesa 20.00 10.00 NIA NIA 3.00 Newport Beach 18.00 8.00 NIA NIA 14.30 AVERAGE 74.68 20.00 9.89 14.94 unable to average "These cifles contract with the County (Orange County Animal Care Services) for licensing services. OTHER APPLICABLE LICENSING FEES: REPLACEMENT TAG FEES! unable to obtain information from all cities. Those cities that did respond reported between $245 per tag. Costa ]Mesa charges $1 per tag. 78 Based on prior City Council direction, the attached resolution has been prepared calling for the following rates: Unaltered - $75 Altered - $20 Senior Discount/Altered - $9 Because County averages resulted in less than full dollar amounts, the Unaltered rate was rounded up while the Senior Discount/Altered was rounded down. 3 The City Council did not provide direction from its meeting of June 22, 2010 regarding any adjustment in late fees. As noted in the preceding schedule, staff is unable to establish a County average for late fees because of the differing methods of calculation. In reviewing the various fees, there does not appear to be any real consistency and in many instances, the late fee amount exceeds the cost of the license. At the same time, Costa Mesa's late fee of $3 is the lowest in the County and seemingly is not serving as any deterrent to required licensing. Accordingly, staff would recommend a late fee established as a percentage of the license fee rather than a fixed dollar amount. While admittedly subjective, the following recommendation seeks to find some reasonable level that serves as an incentive for owners to license their dogs in a timely fashion. Late Fee — 50% of Applicable License Fee A matter not discussed by the City Council at its meeting of June 22, 2010 yet somewhat related to the topic of Animal Licensing involved the funding of doggie waste bags for public open space areas. A year ago, the line item of $40,000 for the purchase of doggie waste bags was cut from the City's budget. The City and Costa Mesa Community Foundation together created the K-9 Clean-up Program for the purpose of raising funds through sponsorships to continue to fund a limited supply of doggie waste bags. To date, approximately $4,990 has been raised that will fund the limited operation of 12 dispensers. A volunteer committee of residents including Bill Turpit, Judi Berry, Terry Shaw and Cindy Brenneman suggest that the City Council consider adding $5 to both the fee for Altered and Unaltered dog licenses. This would be in addition to the larger increase the City Council has directed to help offset some of the costs for animal control services. It is roughly estimated that $5 per license and around 4,000 licenses would generate approximately $20,000 per year for the purchase and stocking of a larger quantity of doggie waste bags. Traditionally, the waste bags have been provided in public places as a convenience to dog owners and without a sustainable revenue stream and without staff resources to market and manage the sponsorship program, it is likely that the bags may no longer be available in the future. City Maintenance Division staff continue to feel that the availability of waste bags in public parks provides for a cleaner and safer environment. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED: 1. Retain Animal Licenses at current level 2. Modify the recommended rate schedule 3. Approve the Volunteer Committee's recommendation of a $5/license fee for doggie waste bags 4. Provide direction on utilization of some portion of the fee increase as proposed for doggie waste bags FISCAL REVIEW: Adoption of the proposed fee schedule will increase revenues in support of both the Animal Control operation as well as the City's General Fund. 10 LEGAL REVIEW: The attached resolution has been reviewed and approved by the City Attorney CONCLUSION: Increasing the Animal License fee (last adjusted in 1989) enables the City to retain the current staffing level of Animal Control Officers. This is predicated on the increased fee amount and the conducting a canvass to increase the total number of licenses. But the intent of increasing fees and charges is not to fund positions but to provide service. Based on 80% of total Animal Control calls attributable to canine activity, the proposed fee increase serves both licensed owners of dogs as well as the general public. ALLAN L. ROEDER City Manager DISTRIBUTION ATTACHMENTS Chief Shawkey Sgt. Myers Resolution No KIMBERLY HALL BARLOW City Attorney Doa License Fees 5