Manteca’s leaders heard the howls of protest over $100 licensing fees for unfixed dogs loud and clear.
If your dog is not fixed it may soon cost you $33.33 a year to have it licensed in Manteca.
It depends, though, upon whether the City Council Tuesday votes to half the current fee from $100 to $50 and if you take advantage of a multi-year discount and license your dog for three years for $100 upfront. Two year licenses for unfixed dogs would be $75.
If you did, that would make the cost of legally having an unfixed dog in Manteca just $13 more a year than the $20 fee for a fixed dog.
And those who opt not to license their animals to avoid paying a fee had better hope their dog doesn’t get out and end up being picked up by animal control. Not only would they have to pay the licensing fee plus a $20 late registration penalty but they’d also be on hook for impound fees as well.
The unfixed dog fee was originally $15 a year while fixed dogs were $5 annually to license.
All animal services fees were raised in January after going a decade without adjustments to reflect actual costs. Unspayed and unneutered dogs, though, were jumped higher in terms of registration in a bid to encourage people to fix their animals to reduce the number of unwanted dogs.
Two weeks ago, a half dozen people spoke against the higher fees for unfixed dogs. Council members had also fielded a number of complaints.
The one-year license for dogs that are spayed or neutered is going from $5 to $20 to cover city costs. Since paperwork accounts for much of the cost of issuing a license, the council adopted a two-year license for $30 and a three-year license for $40. Three years is the same length of time a rabies vaccine is good.
The council meets at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St.
If your dog is not fixed it may soon cost you $33.33 a year to have it licensed in Manteca.
It depends, though, upon whether the City Council Tuesday votes to half the current fee from $100 to $50 and if you take advantage of a multi-year discount and license your dog for three years for $100 upfront. Two year licenses for unfixed dogs would be $75.
If you did, that would make the cost of legally having an unfixed dog in Manteca just $13 more a year than the $20 fee for a fixed dog.
And those who opt not to license their animals to avoid paying a fee had better hope their dog doesn’t get out and end up being picked up by animal control. Not only would they have to pay the licensing fee plus a $20 late registration penalty but they’d also be on hook for impound fees as well.
The unfixed dog fee was originally $15 a year while fixed dogs were $5 annually to license.
All animal services fees were raised in January after going a decade without adjustments to reflect actual costs. Unspayed and unneutered dogs, though, were jumped higher in terms of registration in a bid to encourage people to fix their animals to reduce the number of unwanted dogs.
Two weeks ago, a half dozen people spoke against the higher fees for unfixed dogs. Council members had also fielded a number of complaints.
The one-year license for dogs that are spayed or neutered is going from $5 to $20 to cover city costs. Since paperwork accounts for much of the cost of issuing a license, the council adopted a two-year license for $30 and a three-year license for $40. Three years is the same length of time a rabies vaccine is good.
The council meets at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St.
