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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Agenda October 18, 2000CITY COUNCIL AGENDA CITY OF REXBURG OCTOBER 18, 2000 - 7:30 P.M. OPEN HOUSE - REXBURC CI'T'Y HA11 11:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M. Displays, Tours, RefresbmerAs 1. Pledge to the Flag 2. Approval of Minutes 3. Non Controversial Items Added to the Agenda 4. New Business: • Community Campus Complex - Mayor • Purchase Card Program - Richard • Kathy LaFollette - Amended Animal Control Proposal 5. Old Business: • Impact Fees 6. Update on Projects 7. Committee Reports 8. Mayor's Business 9. Approval of Bills 10. Adjourn IT ISASSUMED THESE SCHEDULED TIMES ARE ACCURATE, IFNOT THE COUNCIL WILL ADJUST THE SCHEDULEAS ACCUR.4TELYAS POSSIBLE. *** Please contact City Hall three days prior to any city meeting if there is any special assistance needed for disabled people planning to attend the meeting. Amendment to Proposal to City of Rexburg Animal Control -2000 Prepared by Kathey LaFollette with recommendations from Dania Wirries With the arrival of Dama's Dog Foundation and the services that this foundation provide for the city if Rexburg. I feel that the following changes are warranted in my previous proposal. I have also taken the time to visit with Dama Wirries to get a better understanding of what she would like to see in a animal control ordinance. I talked with Glen Pond and he said that rather then granting you a line item veto he felt it would be better that I make the changes necessary in my proposal. There has been a proposal made by Officer Poole, and by Dania Wirries to make city dogs tags available free to the public. It is estimated that there is around 3200 dogs and 3600 cats (this does not include ferral cats) in the city of Rexburg. At the present there are only around 120 licenses currently in use in the city. It would be helpful to take some measures to identify and license the dogs so that we get a more accurate count and therefor be more able to tract an animal back to their owner for legal recourse. After talking with Damn Wirries I would hike to propose that for November and December 2000 that animal licenses be offered for free. To add to this we also could call upon the local Boy Scouts or seek a volunteer group from Ricks College during the month of November to go door to door and hand out dog tags and fill out information sheets for each dog and return these to be entered into a data base for future reference. Then starting in January 2001 reminders that it is time to renew dog licence be put on the water bill. Then in February written notice be mailed out to all those who have had a license the past year who have not re -licensed their dog. I still recommend that licencing fees and penalty fees be increased starting in January 2001. Dana has also indicated that she would like to see a law made that would declare that every animal that was impounded would not leave the pound, even to their owner, until they were spayed/ neutered. Dana stated, Damn's Dog Foundation could help with the cost of this law. This would help with pet overpopulation. I retain that pet owners need to be held responsible for their animals and the offspring that they allow to be bom therefor, to help reduce pet overpopulation caused by excess breeding, the city should include in it's ordinance: 1) A provision banning the give-away of pets in public places (such as in front of businesses: Wal-Mart, K -Mart, Broulims, etc.). A common excuse people give for not having their animal altered is that they think they can always give the puppies or kittens away. This is often done in front of a public entrance to businesses. In those locations people often make impulsive decisions and are not really aware or take the time to consider what is involved in providing long term care for the animal. This is a major cause of animal control problems. 2) Penalizing pet owners who allow thei pets to breed freely through higher license fees for unaltered animals. Both unaltered female pets and unaltered male pets should require a higher licensing fee. Its is usually the unaltered male dogs that are found out on the road looking for females in heat. This is also when the male dog is most likely to be aggressive and troublesome. Therefore an altered male is less likely to contribute to attacks as well as contributing to animal overpopulation. I have become aware that the only way that dog licencing are being recorded at this time is on a. the receipt book. This makes it very hard to follow up from year to year on who has licensed their dogs in the past and who is new. Currently any one could choose to pay for their licence at the end of the year and only pay .50 cents. This happens due to a rate reduction, in section II of the current ordinance, that is for people who move into the city or obtain a new pet later in the year but the fee reduction is given to every one. In an effort to help develop more accurate paper work, I feel that a computer data base be created that will aid in the City of Rexburg and/or the Police Department in keeping a more accurate picture of the animal count in the city and following up with rabies and spay/neuter laws and in sending out notice due and notice overdue letters to pet owners who have had a pet licensed in the previous year, and not followed through in following years. This will help to keep licensing current. (Refer to enclosed form that would recommend what a data base should include.) PROPOSED CHANGES IN ANIMAL CONTROL ADMINISTRATION: 1. Provide more then one place for pet owners to obtain animal licensing. (Refer to HSUS proposals for animal control management) a) I have been in contact with all three vets in the Rexburg area. All were in favor of distributing city licenses and collecting fees under the following conditions; 1) The City of Rexburg provide all paper work to be filled out and tags. 2) The veterinarians or their staff must not be required to enforce licensing laws, only offer it as a service to pet owners. 3) The Upper Valley Veterinary Clinic also added that since the animal control officer is in and out of their office that he please pick up the paper work and fees when he is in so that they do not have to deliver it. b) At rabies clinics held in May of every year. c) At city hall d) courtesy booths at Broulims and Albertsons 1) Albertson and Broulims would be interested in allowing a booth to be set up in January for a week to renew licences. 2. Send out notices yearly to remind pet owners to get their pet's license renewed. a) in January 2001 reminders that it is time to renew dog licence be put on the water bill, b) in February written notice be mailed out to all those who have not complied. c) Past due notices sent out in May stating late fines will be added if pet is not licensed by the end of May. Reminder of rabies clinics included in notice. 3. Obtain a computer data base to help track animal licensing. a) I may have some one who will create a date base and donate an old computer to run it on. How ever it may not be compatible with the other computers that it may need to link with. If the city could provide a computer and a current registered copy of File Maker Pro my source may still provide a database with out fee. 4. When writing out the animal control ordinance have it put in laymen terms for the public and put operational information in a work book for the law enforcement. This will help so that the ordinance can be easy to view and understand by the public. PROPOSED CHANGES IN ANIMAL CONTROL ORDINANCE: 1. Licensing of pets: a) To receive a pet license the pet owner need to be required to show proof of: 1)) spay/neuter most be presented in order to get lower fee. b) Unaltered male and well as unaltered female pets should required a higher licensing fee. 1) Recommended increase for pet licensing fees: altered dog from $3.00 to $5.00 per year unaltered dog from $5.00 to $15.00 per yew. 2) Fines for involuntary enforcement of unlicensed animal should be raised from $15.00 to $30.00. If a pet owner should come in voluntarily to pay for a late license he/she should not be fined as he is trying to support the law. (Refer to Sugar City, ordinances and HSUS proposals for anal control management) c) In order to get a current count of dogs in the city and to obtain a record of pet owners that can be used to enforce the law the city should consider a time for free licences are given out to all pet owners. 1) to help with this it is suggested that the we have a volunteer group go door to door handing out tags and filling out paper work to be put on a data base. (The Boys Scouts of America was suggested but Ricks college volunteers would be more reliable with paper work that will be needed.) 2. Running at large or leash law: a) Fines for violation of leash law should be increased; from $15.00 to $50.00 for first offense, from $20.00 to $75.00 for the second offence and from $30.00 to$100.00 for the third offense, and not exceeding should be raised from $100.00 to $150.00 for each subsequent offense, all involving the same dog. (Refer to Sugar City ordinances and HSUS proposals for animal control management) 3. Right of entry. a) The Animal Control Officer or any Peace Officer shall have the right for just cause to enter upon any private or public property in the City in order to examine or capture any animal thereon or therein; ( Refer to Las Vagus animal control ordinance) 1) provided, however, that no such officer shall have the right to enter a house or structure which is in use as a residence without having first secured a search warrant therefor. 4. Disturbing the peace: a) Fines for violation of disturbing the peace should be increased to a fine not less then $30.00 and not exceeding $150.00 from $100.00. (Refer to Sugar City, ordinances and HSUS proposals for animal control management) 5. Impound of animals: a) the daily fees for impounded animals should be increased from $2.50 to $4.00 per day that the animal is kept in the pound.(Refer to Sugar City ordinances and HSUS proposals for animal control management) b) The owner must pay any fines weather the animal is reclaimed or not. c) any unaltered animal will be spayed/neutered before it can be reclaimed. 1) It should bee taken into consideration that owners, who are financially able should be made to help pay a portion or all of this service. d) Any animal with a current dog tag will receive one free ride home in a 12 month period when picked up with in a hundred mile of it's home. 6. Non -Commercial Kennel License: a) Fees should be increased; from $5.00 to $30.00 annually for three dogs and fees per dog will be increased from $1.00 to an additional $10 dollars for each dog over the fust three. (Refer to Sugar City ordinances and HSUS proposals for animal control management) - 1) prevision for Foster Homes when registered to serve the Humane Society or Dana's Dog Foundation to be exempt from the kennel fees. 2) Foster Homes are not to exceeded 4 dogs, this includes their dogs as well w foster dogs, a) an exemption should be made for puppies under three months. 7. Pet Give -Away Prohibition: a) Include in the Rexburg ordinance a provision banning the give-away of pets in public places. Example: in front of Wal-Mart, K -Mart, Broulims, etc. (Refer to HSUS proposals for animal control management) 8. Defined "Owner": a) "Owner" means any person owning, keeping, possessing, harboring, or having the care, custody or control of any animal. ( Refer to Las Vagus animal control ordinance) Certificate of Pet Licence Owner Rabies Tag No. Date vaccinated Type of vaccine (one year or three year) Street City State Zip Owner's Telephone Number dog / cat / ferret Name Breed _ Color Markings Weight Sex Spayed Neutered age of animal