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Home My WebLink About12/08/2009 18 YMC Amendment RE: Dog License Fees and Standards BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No For Meeting of December 8, 2009 ITEM TITLE. Consideration of an Ordinance amending the Yakima Municipal Code regarding Dog License Fees & Standards SUBMITTED BY William R. Cook, Director of Community and Economic Development - CONTACT PERSON/TELEPHONE. Joe Caruso, Supervising Code Inspector 575-6257 SUMMARY EXPLANATION. • The reduction of dog license fees from $15.00 for an unaltered dog to$5 00 • Increasing the impound fee from $20 00 to $ 25 00 • Eliminate the 3 year license • Reduce the one time fee for senior citizens owning an altered dog from $ 25 00 to $5 00 and providing a one time fee for an unaltered dog • Providing a one time waiver of the impound fee when a dog is validly licensed in the City of Yakima Resolution Ordinance X Other Contract Mail to (name and address) Phone Funding Source: APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL. City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION Pass the Ordinance BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION. COUNCIL ACTION ORDINANCE NO 2009- AN ORDINANCE relating to Animal Control, increasing the license fee for altered dogs from $5.00 to $15 00 and renewal fee for altered dogs of from $5 00 to $12 00; increasing the one time fee for senior citizens owning an altered dog from $5 00 to $25 00 BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF YAKIMA: Section 1 Chapter 6.20 100 of the City of Yakima Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: 6.20.100 Dog registration and licensc Fees. The fee for initial or renewed registration and licensing of any dog shall be: (1) For dogs which have been spayed or neutered, fifteen dollars for a license valid for one year and twelve dollars for a renewal thereof for a like period. Proof of a dog having been either spayed or neutered shall be by certificate from a veterinarian or, if such is unavailable, a statement from the owner under oath, certifying that the dog for which a license application is made is either a spayed female or a neutered male (2) For dogs which have not been spayed or neutered, thirty dollars for a license valid for one year and twenty-five dollars for renewal thereof for a like period. (3) The registration and license fee amount shall be deposited into the dog control fund. (4) No license fee shall be charged to an owner who is legally blind and uses such dog as a guide dog, or to a deaf person who uses such dog as a hearing-ear dog, or to an owner who has been determined to be disabled pursuant to 42 U S.0 Section 1382 (supplemental security income) and uses such dog as a support dog. The license shall be valid for the life of the dog. (5) No license fee shall be charged to city police and fire agencies for canine support animals (6) Dogs that are spayed or neutered and owned by persons over the age of sixty-two years may be registered and licensed for twenty-five dollars. Dogs that are not spayed or neutered and owned by persons over the age of sixty-two years may be registered and licensed for thirty dollars. The license shall be valid for the life of the dog or until transfer of ownership of the animal. (7) The fee for replacement tags shall be five dollars. (8) The board may provide for optional registration of dogs by other suitable parties, in which case an "agent fee" of three dollars shall be added to the licensing fee Section 2. Chapter 6.20.320 of the City of Yakima Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: 6.20.320 Redemption of impounded animals. (1) The owner or owner's agent of any dog or other animal impounded pursuant to this chapter or Chapter 6 18 of this title may redeem the impounded dog or animal within forty-eight hours, exclusive of Sundays and holidays, after notice of the impoundment is given pursuant to YMC 6.20 310 Such redemption shall be effected as provided by section al either-subsection = * - - .f this section. (2) (A) Except for animals contemplated by subsection (2)(B) of this section, redemption for each dog may be accomplished by payment to the impounding authority of the amount of twenty five dollars for the first impoundment of the same dog dunng any twelve-month period; and the redemption fee shall increase by increments of twenty dollars for each subsequent impoundment of that same dog during that twelve-month period. In addition to the redemption min/dogfeeordinance/page 1 of 4 fee provided by this subsection, a person redeeming an unlicensed dog shall also pay for and obtain a current city of Yakima dog license before the dog is redeemed. In addition to the redemption fee, an additional charge of ten dollars per day shall be imposed for the period of time that the impounded dog is kept in the pound after impoundment, together with the cost for mandatory microchipping, prior to redemption. (B) In the case of smaller animals other than dogs not requiring special equipment for transporting the same to the pound, the impounding fee shall be twenty five dollars, and a charge of not less than ten dollars per day may be imposed by the impounding authority for the care and feeding of such animals. In the case of larger animals requiring special equipment for transporting the same to the pound (any equipment larger than a pickup or panel delivery truck), the basic impounding fee shall be twenty five dollars; and in the event such an impoundment occurs at any time other than between nine a.m. to five p.m. on weekdays, or between ten a.m. and four p m. on a Saturday, or if the impoundment occurs on a legal holiday, the impoundment fee shall be forty-five dollars. An additional charge of ten dollars per day shall be made for the care and feeding of such animals. (C) Any payment required by this subsection for the redemption of an impounded dog or other animal may be made with any commercially reasonable tender, including but not limited to cash, money orders or major credit or debit cards, on sufficient identification being made (D) The impound fee shall be waived the first time a dog licensed with the City of Yakima is impounded, provided that the dog license is current and valid (3) In the event an owner of an impounded dog or other animal desires to contest the validity of the impoundment, the impounded dog or other animal nevertheless may be redeemed by the execution and delivery to the impoundment authority of a promissory note payable to the city of Yakima in the amount of fifty dollars plus the appropriate impoundment fee, and the simultaneous filing with the impoundment authority of a request for animal impoundment hearing on a form to be provided by the impoundment authority and which shall read substantially as follows: IN THE MUNICIPAL COURT FOR THE CITY OF YAKIMA CITY OF YAKIMA, ] Plaintiff,] NO v ] ] REQUEST FOR ] ANIMAL ] IMPOUNDMENT ] HEARING (name of owner) ] Defendant. ] (full name), as owner or owner's agent of a (dog or animal description/license number) hereby request a hearing to contest its impoundment of (date) at (place) Grounds for contesting the validity of the impoundment: I understand that if I fail to appear at the time set for hearing, in accordance with a notice to be given to me by the court, judgment will be entered against me for the amount of my promissory note payable to the City of Yakima, given in connection with this request for hearing, together with additional court costs. Dated cimldogfeeordinancelpage 2 of 4 (signature of owner or agent) Address Telephone number The impounding authority shall cause all timely requests for animal impoundment hearing to be filed with the city of Yakima municipal court. (4) If an impounded dog or other animal is not redeemed by its owner within the forty-eight- hour period following the notice of impoundment, then any person may redeem the dog or other animal by complying with the provisions of subsection (2)(A) of this section; provided, however, that within the discretion of the impounding authority, any such impounded dog or other animal may be humanely destroyed or otherwise disposed of; provided, further, that in the case of any horse, mule, c,attie, hog or other stock animals that may be impounded when running at large within the city of Yakima, the impounding authority shall follow the procedure established by the laws of the state of Washington in Title 16 of the Revised Code of Washington relative to the care and sale of strays. (5) Redemption of Dangerous Dogs. Any dangerous dog, as defined in this chapter and which is confiscated pursuant to YMC 6.20 300 shall be humanely destroyed within forty-eight hours after its notice of confiscation is served or posted pursuant to YMC 6.20 310, unless its owner or his agent requests a hearing as provided in this subsection and the dog is ordered released by the court. In the event of a hearing at which the city prevails, the dog shall be humanely destroyed. The person requesting the hearing shall be liable to the city for the sum of twenty five dollars confiscation fee and ten dollars for each day such dog is confined by the city Requests for such hearing shall be filed with the Yakima municipal court by the dog owner or his agent with a copy served upon the department of economics or its designee and shall be made on a form which shall read substantially as follows: IN THE MUNICIPAL COURT FOR THE CITY OF YAKIMA IN RE THE ) CONFISCATION OF ) NO A DOG NAMED ) Request for ) Dangerous Dog ) Dog Confiscation Hearing (owner's name) , as owner of a (full name) request a hearing to (dog's name and description) contest its confiscation. The dog is currently being held at the city impoundment facility I understand that if I fail to appear at the time set by the Court for hearing, the City shall humanely destroy the dog. (Signature of owner or agent) Address Telephone number (6) The daily boarding fees set forth in this section as costs to the individual redeeming an impounded dog may be increased from time to time to reflect actual increased cost assessments by the Humane Society for boarding city animal impounds. (7) Redemption of Pit Bull Dog. In addition to the provisions provided in this section, an owner or owner's agent redeeming a pit bull dog must sign a promise to remove the dog from the city of Yakima and provide the address to which the animal will then reside cirn/dogfeeordinance/page 3 of 4 Section 3 This ordinance shall be in full force and effect 30 days after its passage, approval, and publication as provided by law and by the City Charter PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, signed and approved this 8th day of December 8, 2009 ATTEST David Edler, Mayor City Clerk Publication Date Effective Date. cim/dogfeeordinance /page 4 of 4