The city now has the authority to chase unpaid dog licences.
Nanaimo city council adopted changes to its Licensing and Control of Animals Bylaw Jan. 9 that will make it easier for the city and its animal control contractors to collect outstanding dog licence fees.
Dog owners who live in city boundaries are required to pay for dog licences each year. The money offsets the cost of running the city pound operation, according to Rod Davidson, city manager of bylaw, regulation and security.
The city raises about $250,000 a year with the sale of licences, but not all dog owners pay up for their pets. There are approximately $97,000 in unpaid fees outstanding from the past decade, which will be written off, the city reports. The city tried to collect in the past, but its bylaw didn’t give it the authority do so.
“This won’t change how we do our business,” Davidson said. “What it does is it makes it a collectable debt. It gives the legality to actually collect past years’ dues where as before we may or may not have had it. It was a little bit of a grey area.”
Council adopted the bylaw change in a 6-1 vote, with Coun. Jim Kipp opposed. Any dog fee outstanding after Jan. 9 can now be collected.
The potential for different timelines for licences, such as a lifetime licence or a licence for two, three or five years, is also expected to be a discussion item this year.
Davidson said there are a number of things that can be considered and it’s at a very early stage.
