Committee approves ordinance change to raise dog license fees and index them to CPI starting 2026

The Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee approved an amendment to Section 3.3 of the county general code to increase dog license fees starting with the 2026 licensing year and to provide for annual adjustments tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). A presenter said the county had not increased dog license fees since 2001 and that fees collected recently ($30,000–$35,000 annually, per staff) fall well short of a $100,000 annual contract request from the Humane Society. The ordinance amendment is designed to reduce the gap and add a CPI mechanism so fees track inflation. Nut graf: Committee members said aligning fees to CPI and revisiting the fee schedule during budget adoption will help the county keep pace with costs for animal-control services provided in partnership with municipalities and the Humane Society. Administrator Leonard explained the CPI indexing language in the proposed ordinance appears to allow the Board to set the fee schedule during the budget process; staff intend to make the fee schedule explicit in the budget packet going forward. Vice Chair Marshall asked staff to estimate revenues: if the same number of dog owners license next year, staff said revenue would more than double to approximately $75,000 under the proposed schedule. Motion and outcome: Vice Chair Marshall moved adoption; Supervisor Hart seconded. The committee adopted the ordinance amendment unanimously. Ending: Staff and administration will reflect the new fee schedule in the 2026 budget materials and the CPI adjustment will be incorporated into the county’s fee schedule for annual consideration.