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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE/DIVISION OF ANIMAL SERVICES - Director of Animal Services Thomas Moss and Animal Care Center Manager Christine McClintock
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Requested Action(s)
recommendation
a) ORDINANCE NO 2145 - Request acceptance of the data supporting a proposed Ordinance setting fees to be charged by the Tehama County Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Services in connection with some minor license fee increases, some kennel fee increases, and restructuring of the adoption fees, effective 1/16/25
b) Request to designate the Tehama County Department of Agriculture and the Clerk of the Board’s Office as two locations where the data will be available for public review
c) Request to set a public hearing on 12/17/24 at 10:00 AM, to consider the adoption of the proposed Ordinance
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Financial Impact:
If adopted, the increased dog license fees will provide some increase in revenue. Based on the number of dogs licensed last year, the Division anticipates an approximate increase in dog licensing of $16,000 per fiscal year. This revenue will be allocated to funding rabies vaccination clinics throughout the County.
If adopted, the amended kennel license types and associated fees may provide an increase in revenue. Kennel licenses are based on a calendar year. If no changes are made to existing kennel licenses, the Division anticipates an approximate increase in kennel licensing revenue of $5,295 for Calendar Year 2025.
If adopted, the updated adoption fees will have no net financial impact to the County. These changes will necessitate adjustments to specific revenue accounts to match the amended revenue source. This will not have a financial impact to the Division’s overall budget.
Background Information:
The Division of Animal Services is proposing to amend fee schedule 7.08.105. The dog licensing fees currently charged by the Division were last updated in 2010. The proposed fee increases for dog licenses are based on a time and motion study conducted by the Division, and the supporting fee study. Because the operational costs for the program are high, fully recovering the costs incurred by the Division would be unreasonable. The proposed fees are significantly less than the actual costs to better align with area averages. The proposed fee increases will result in approximately $16,000 in increased revenue.
The Division is required by CA Health and Safety Code 121690(f) to provide public rabies vaccination clinics held at strategic locations throughout the County. These rabies vaccination clinics have been historically funded by grants obtained by the Division. The additional revenue received from the dog licensing fees will be allocated to clinic operations.
If approved, prorated annual license fees will be removed from the fee schedule. These license types are rarely used and do not cover department costs to process and renew the prorated licenses. Two-year license increments will be added to the fee schedule.
The approval of the updated Chapter 7.20 of the Tehama County Code necessitates kennel licenses be amended to reflect the changes. The proposed fee schedule for kennels is based on a time and motion study conducted by the Division, and the supporting fee study. Kennels with solely altered animals will be charged one-half of the fee required for a kennel with unaltered dogs, to better align with surrounding areas and CA Food & Agriculture Code 30525. Kennel license late renewal fees will also be updated. This ordinance also establishes fees for commercial endorsements for kennels, as well as a commercial endorsement registration late fee. The proposed fee schedule for commercial endorsements is based on a time and motion study conducted by the Division, and the supporting fee study.
If approved, Dog- Wild Animal hybrid registration fees will be removed from the fee schedule, as Dog-Wild Animal hybrids are prohibited to own under CA law (CCR 671). Furthermore, potentially dangerous/vicious dog license fees be updated to license fee increments (in addition to standard licensing fees) to comply with state law and Tehama County Codes 7.30.060 and 7.30.070. (F&A Code 31641)
The Division currently charges adoption increments to adopters at the time animals are adopted. These increments total anywhere from $20 to $185 for dogs, and $20 to $115 for cats. The variation depends largely on the animals’ alter and microchip status and are significantly higher than our comparator counties. If approved, this ordinance will establish a single set adoption fee of $70 for cats and $115 for dogs. This adoption fee is more equitable for adopters, and covers the average make ready cost to adopt for that species, rather than the specific costs associated with that animal. The proposed fees are in line with the comparator counties’ adoption fees. Additionally, new adoption fees are added to the fee schedule to provide for adoptions of fowl, rabbits, small mammals, horses, and small livestock such as goats, sheep, and pigs. Previous adoption fee increments are removed from the fee schedule.
Microchipping services were included in the fee schedule solely as an adoption fee increment. If approved, microchipping will be established as its own service, not an adoption increment. This reflects the practices of the Division, as all dogs and cats are microchipped at return to owner as well as adoptions, pursuant to a change in state law in 2021 (F&A Code 31108.3 and F&A Code 31752.1)Additional wording was updated, and inactive code sections without specific assigned fees were removed from the proposed fee schedule (formerly H, L, M.) Relative fees were incorporated into the new proposed fee schedule. Finally, Tehama County Code section 7.08.107 to reflect the change in numbering of Tehama County Code section 7.08.105.