HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance No. 2197-2006SUBSTITUTE
Suggested by: Councilor Molloy
CITY OF KENAI
ORDINANCE NO. 2197-2006
AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, AMENDING
KMC 3.20.020 AND KMC 3.05.100 TO SET NEW LICENSE KENNEL AND
IMPOUNDMENT I+EI:S, PROVIDING I'OR THE CITY'I'O SEND NOTICES TO DOG
OWNLRS Or PENDING EXPIRATION OF DOG LICF,NSES AND PROVIDING FOR
MICROCHIP IDENTIFICATION OF DOGS.
WHF,REAS, KMC 3.20.020(b) provides for an annual dog license; and,
WI IEREAS, dog licenses are needed to identify their owner, ensure the dog is properly
vaccinated against rabies and to enable the city to contact the owner if a dog is found
at large; and,
WHEREAS, requiring a city reminder notice be sent to city dog owners will increase
compiiance with the animal licensing requirement; and,
WHEREAS, the fee schedule in KMC 3.05.100 should be amended to reflect inflation
and adininistrative and enforcement expenses; and,
WHEREAS, implanting of microchips in dogs for identification should be an option for
city dog owners in addition to dog tags; and,
WHERFAS, it is in the best interest of the City of Kenai to amend the Animal Control
code as set forth uelow.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED THAT THE KENAI MUNICIPAL CODE IS
AMFNDED AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I
KMC 3.20.020(a) is amended as follows:
3.20.020 Licensing Procedure
(a) Application for a dog license shall be to the Chief Animal Control
Officer. The applicalion shall include:
(1) The name and address of the owner of the dog;
(2) The name, breed, color, age and sex of the dog;
(3) Proof that the dog has a current rabies vaccination;
(4) The license fee required by KMC 3.05.100;
(5) Written proof that the dog is sterile, if the owner seeks to
qualify for the reduced license fees under KMC 3.05.100(b).
(b) A dog license shall expire on December 315t of each year.
(c) An application to renew a license issued under this chapter shall
be made at least thirty (30j days before the license expires, and
shall be made in the same manner as an application for a new
Ordinance No. 2197-2006 SUBSTITUTE
Page 2 of 3
license.
(d) Bv November 1 o'f each vear the Citv shall send individual notices
to licensed do~ owners notifving them of the uncoming deadline
for renewal of do~ licenses.
SECTION II
KMC 3.20.030 is amended as follows:
3.20.030 Dog license tags and receipts.
(a) For each dog licensed under this chapter, the Animal Control
Office shall issue the owner a numbered receipt and a tag stainped
with an identification number.
(b) To be licensed under this chapter, a dog must bear a license tag
securely fastened to its choke chain, collar, or harness, provided
that the dog need not bear the tag while confined, in harness, in
competition, in training, or while hunting.
(c) No person may use a dog license tag or receipt for a dog other
than the one for which it was issued.
jd) The do~ owner mav have a microchip identification anproved and
inserted by the Citv with the citV identification number. The
microchip identification number sh~ll be inserted in a location
specified bv the Chief Animal Control Officer.
SECTION III
KMC 3.05.100 is amended as follows:
3.05.100 Fees
(a) The fee for a kennel facility shali Ue [$5.00] 100.00 [PER DOG IN
THE FACILITY, UP TO A MEIHIMUM OF $25.00].
(b) The fee for a dog license shall be [$2.00] 10.00 tor a sterilized dog
and [$10.00) 30.00 for all other dogs. The fee for replacin~ a lost
dog license tag with a duplicate shall be [TWENTY-FIVE CENTS
(50.25)~ 2.00 .
(c) The fee for redeeming an impounded animal shall be the sum of
the impoundment and boarding fees specified in this subsection,
provided that if, within thiriy (30) days of paying the
impoundment and boarding fees, the owner of an impounded
animal presents proof that the animal has been sterilized, the
Animal Control Officer shall refund to the owner the impoundment
fee for the animal. The refiznd for sterilization shall be allowed
only once for any animal.
(1) First impoundment fee: Dog -($35.00) 50.00; Cat -
($10.00) 15.00.
Ordinance No. 2197-2006 SUBS'I'ITUTE
Pa~e 3 of 3
(2) Second impoundment fee within a twelve-month period
from first impoundment Dog -($50.00] 70.00; Cat -
($20.00) 30.00, plus citation, shots, license, and Uoarding
fees as required.
(3) Third impoundment fee and thereafter within a twelve-
monU1 period from first impoundment: Dog -($75.00)
100.00; Cat -($30.00) 40.00, plus citation, shots,
license, and boarding fees as required.
(4) Boarding fee: Dog and Cat, [$3.00] 20.00/day; other
animal weighing more than fifteen (15) pounds, [$5.00)
35.00/day. The boarding fee also shall include any other
costs actually and reasonably incurred by the Animal
Control Office in maintaining the animal, including, but not
limited to, medical care.
(5) Any impounded animal which by reason of its size,
strength, dangerous propensities, or other characteristics
cannot reasonably be kept in the Animal Control Shelter
may be reclaimed upon payinent of an impoundment fee of
($25.00) 100.00 plus the actual costs reasonably incurred
by the Animal Control Office in impounding, transporting,
and keeping the animal.
~ The fee for insertion of a microchip is $37.00.
PASSFD BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, this 17f~~ day of
January, 2007.
~ ~~~ l
, ~
`;~~ ~", c' i'( ~ i~.~.,~
PAT PORTER, MAYOR
ATTEST:
-~ ~~'~"/
Carol L. Treas, City C1erk
Introduced:
Second Reading:
Postponed to:
Adopted:
Effective:
November l, 2006
November 21, 2006
January 17, 2007
January 17, 2007
February 17, 2007
"l/'lla~e wit~ a Past, Gc~ r~it~ ~~~t~re `~
210 Fidalgo Avenue, Kenai, Alaska 99611-7784
Telephone: (907) 283-7535 / Fax: (907) 283-3014
www.ci.kenai.ak.us
M~1V1o lr ~ V M
TO: ~ Kenai City Councii
FROM:~iI~~~ Cary R. Graves, City Attomcy
DATE: Januaa-y 12, 2006
RE: Substitute Ordinance No. 2197-2006 -Dog Licensing
This memorandum is to outline the changes in the substifute ordinance. Ii1 order to iessen the
ehance of dog owners facing a possible citation for forgettin~ to renew a dog license, the original
ordinance would make the licenses good tor three years instead of one. After initially thinking
the three-year period was not a problcm, Cl~ief Animal Control Officer Pah~icia Stringer did
additional research and came to the conclusion it would be a signific~ut hindrance to the C~ity's
rabies control effort and in locating lost animals' owners. See the attac;hed memorandum.
In order to achieve the original goal of the ordinance while keeping the ticense period for one
year, we added subsection (g) to KMC 3.20.020. That subsection requires the City to
individually uotify dog holders of the upcoming deadline for renewal of dog licenses. Thc staf'P
antieipates using a database to print out individual postcard type uotices to each license hoider
informin~ thein of the need to renew the iicense. Lising a computer database will lessen the
administxative bnrden on city staff. This change will allow keeping the one-year license period
whiie reminding each dog owner of the need to renew the license.
We also added subsecrion (d) to KMC 3.20.030. That section allows for the option of
identi~rication microchips to be inserted into dogs, in addition t~o the owner buying a dog tag.
Finally, the fees in KMC 3.05.100 were inereased to better refleet inflation and the City's costs
of inspecting kennels and boarding dogs.
Piease let me know if you have any questions.
At2achment
Kenai Animal Control
o~i' ~ 70: Chief Kopp
~~ ~ From: Patricia Stringer, Chief Animal Control Officer
~J _~~ Date: 1/12/2007
\~ y-_ -- Re: Annual License / Kennel License
KMC 3.05.100
The recommendation of $15.00 per dog with a maximum of $75.00 for a Kennel Facility is not
adequate. I suggest a$100.00 fee for all Kennels. Some licensed Kennels have as few as 5 dogs and
some have as many as 18. It is unfair for one person to pay $75.00 for 18 dogs, and another to pay the
same fee for only 5 dogs. I would like to see an annual fee of $100.00 for all Kennel Facilities, with all
dogs in the facility required to have a city license tag.
KMC 320.020
The license fee for animals in the city limits is annual for three specifc reasons:
1. Rabies control program worldwide. - No sheiter facility in the U.S.A. or the world has a three-
year license, a license like that could jeopardize the rabies control program on the Kenai
Peninsula in the long term. Rabies is only rare in areas with aggressive control programs.
2. Identification. - A three-year tag often has expired / wrong information in our database, making
it impossible to reunite the animals and owners.
3. The revenue from the city license sales help to support our shelter facility.
State and federal law requires ali dogs to have a rabies shot, the frst shot lasts only one year, the
second lasts for two or three years, depending on the shot given. If the city license requirement
changes, we would not be able to make sure our citizens are in compliance with the state law.
Changing the City License to three years is inappropriate, and could put our Rabies control program in
serious danger.
Recommendation for Annual License Fees:
$10.00 per year for an altered dog
$30.00 per year for an unaltered dog.
Patricia Stringer
Chief Animal Control Officer
210 Fidalgo Avenue
Kenai, Alaska 99611-7794
(907) 283-7353
Patricia Stringer 01/08/2007