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Delafield council weighs options after audit finds under 10% dog-license compliance
Summary
Council discussion noted less than 10% compliance with the city's dog-licensing ordinance, explored education and enforcement steps, and directed staff to seek partnerships with local veterinary clinics and provide budget numbers for possible humane-officer training.
The Delafield Common Council on March 3 discussed low compliance with the city's dog-licensing ordinance and directed staff to pursue public education and potential partnerships with local veterinary clinics to boost registration.
Councilmember Kevin Grimmer raised the item after city staff found license compliance at below 10 percent. Grimmer said the ordinance's low compliance prompted his request to consider whether to remove the ordinance or improve enforcement and outreach. “My initial goal was to ask for a public hearing to remove the ordinance in its entirety,” Grimmer said, but he acknowledged state law requires municipalities to maintain a licensing ordinance.
Police Chief (title given in meeting) told the council the department will make checks for dog licenses routine during enforcement contacts and implement an internal policy to verify licensing using the same system used for Bleecker Street and golf-cart permits. The chief said the department records only about five to six dog-related enforcement incidents a year and that increasing enforcement alone would likely change compliance by only a small number.
City Clerk Molly (City Clerk) confirmed an estimate of about 1,706 dogs in the city and said online licensing is already available; residents do not have to come to city hall to register. Council members noted the current license fees are $17 for spayed/neutered dogs and $22 for intact dogs. At full compliance those fees would represent roughly $34,000 in revenue, a council member observed.
Council members and staff also discussed the county's recent elimination of its humane-officer program; the chief said that program previously handled animal welfare investigations and quarantines, and that the county's humane officer is now dedicated to dog-bite and rabies-control work. The chief said city licensing revenue currently does not cover the cost of the Hawes contract that provides temporary sheltering and responses for animals found at large.
Council directions and next steps included: - Direct staff to develop and execute a public-education campaign (city communicator, tax-bill insert, Facebook) explaining the purpose of licensing and how license fees support animal services; Alderman Mark volunteered to draft a communicator post. - Ask staff to contact local veterinary clinics and other animal businesses (Petco, groomers) to explore whether they will help with outreach or license collection where legally permissible. - Provide budget estimates for Department of Agriculture humane-officer training and the time/cost implications of assigning an officer to humane investigations.
Councilmembers said staff should return with budget numbers and an outreach plan; no change to the ordinance was adopted at the meeting.
The discussion did not include new fees or an immediate enforcement sweep; the council emphasized education and lowering barriers to registration (online option, mail-in) before pursuing broader enforcement.
