Commissioners question proposed dog‑license and kennel fees, ask legal staff to revise ordinance thresholds

County staff presented proposed dog‑licensing fees ($5 altered, $20 unaltered) and a commercial kennel licensing fee schedule that would have charged $100 for owners of five to eleven animals. Commissioners reacted strongly to the commercial threshold and asked legal staff to revise the ordinance language to distinguish commercial kennels from household ownership.

Commissioners noted that the county previously did not charge for dog licenses and expressed concern that a new fee regime could discourage compliance. Multiple commissioners said the current ordinance’s threshold (five animals triggers commercial kennel classification) does not align with common practice and asked the county attorney to draft ordinance revisions identifying a more appropriate commercial threshold (suggestions in discussion included moving the commercial threshold to 12 animals) and to return with a corrected draft and legal analysis.

Public‑safety rationale: staff said licensing helps verify rabies vaccinations and support reunification of lost animals; commissioners agreed the identification function is valuable but debated whether a fee is needed. Staff said current practice issues include the need to replace stamped annual tags and manage shelter records.

Next steps: legal staff will return with a revised ordinance that clarifies the definition of a commercial kennel and proposes fee language consistent with that definition; commissioners asked for an estimate of current shelter/license program costs before considering a new licensing fee.

Ending: The proposed fees were not adopted; commissioners asked for ordinance language changes and information on shelter operating costs before taking further action.