Fiscal Note
The City retains all revenues associated with the licensing of cats; the licensing of dogs, however, is regulated by State Statute and requires that the County retain a portion of all dog-licensing fees to support animal control efforts. For cat licensing, the number of licenses issued for cats has decreased over the last decade from annual averages of about 1,900 to about 1,500 licenses. In 2012, the City issued a total of 1,522 cat licenses, yielding a total of $23,420 in revenues for the City General Fund. Of the 1,522 licenses issued in 2012, all but 4 were licensed as neutered/spayed. If the proposed license fee structure were in effect for 2012, the General Fund would have realized an additional $100 ($25 additional license fee for each of four cats).
For the licensing of dogs, the City currently retains $6.25 of each license (plus a small processing fee); the remainder of the revenues are allocated to the County and State, as required by State Statute. Unlike the trends with cat licensing, the number of licenses issued for dogs has increased over the last decade, with annual licensing rates increasing from about 9,200 to about 10,500. In 2012, the City issued a total of 10,435 dog licenses yielding a total of $73,495 in revenues for the City General Fund, net of the portion allocated to the County and State. Among the dogs licensed in 2012, 661 were unneutered or unspayed. If the proposed license fee structure were in effect for 2012, the General Fund would have realized an additional $16,525.
It should be noted these projections assume no adverse impact on licensing rates for unneutered/unspayed animals, and also assume no change in the portion of fees retained by the County.
Title
Amending Sections 9.31(2) and 9.50(2) of the Madison General Ordinances to increase the fees for cat and dog licenses.
Body
DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: This ordinance increases the fees for cat and dog licenses.
**********************************************...
Click here for full text