Minutes - Council Work Session - 03/12/2019

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Councilmember Heinrich stated that perhaps the pet clinic be held at the dog park, to highlight that amenity. Police Chief Katers replied that Elm Crest was chosen because of the availability of bathrooms and other facilities. Mayor LeTourneau asked and received confirmation that the budget for this line item was $9,200 and contains the containment services, licensing and pet clinic. He stated that the ordinance serves one purpose, related to identification and reuniting. Police Chief Katers stated that if the department is aware of the owner, or there is identification, the animal would be returned to the owner rather than forwarded for containment. Mayor LeTourneau stated that it seems that the largest cost savings would be reducing the number of containments. He stated that perhaps this is more of a marketing issue and less of an ordinance issue. He stated that if the ordinance could be marketed more and there was more compliance, there would perhaps be less containment. Police Chief Katers stated that some type of identification would be helpful; it would not necessarily need to be licensing or registration. Councilmember Shryock stated that theoretically that would make sense. She explained that people that would have licenses on their pets are more likely to be mindful of the location of their pets. She noted that if there is a stray or nuisance animal, perhaps that resident is not as concerned and would be less likely to license. She stated that if the ordinance is not going to be enforced, there is no need for it and education would be a better option. She noted that articles in the newsletter could encourage people to have a tag on their dog collar with a name and address. She stated that people less likely to comply with a license might be willing to simply put a collar and tag on them. Mayor LeTourneau asked if the cost for containment can be charged back to residents. Police Chief Katers confirmed that if a resident picks up their animal,that cost of containment is charged back to the resident. He noted that there are cases where the animal has been abandoned or is not picked up and the cost then is absorbed by the City. It was the consensus of the Council to direct staff to review an option that would eliminate the requirement for pet licensing/registration and instead focus on marketing other pet identification methods. 2.02: Discuss Community Sign Options for Highway 10 and Highway 47 City Planner McGuire Brigl reviewed the staff report. Councilmember Kuzma asked the amount of money that was received from insurance from the damage that was done from the accident at the location on Highway 47. City Council Work Session /March 12,2019 Page 3 of 9