Willard council shifts business fees to administrative schedule, declines to remove mandatory dog licensing

The Willard City Council on Jan. 9, 2025, adopted Ordinance 2025-1 to remove business license fees from multiple sections of the municipal code and place them in a single, administratively updated fee schedule, but the council rejected a separate move to make dog licensing voluntary.

The vote followed a public hearing in which residents urged the council to retain mandatory dog licensing to help return loose animals to owners and to limit disease risk. "Licensing helps officers locate the owners and the dog can be taken home, saving time in officers that officers would spend taking them to the shelter," said Jean Larson, a Willard resident, during public comment.

The ordinance approved strips business-license fee language out of the municipal code and centralizes fees in a single fee schedule staff can update administratively. Proponents said the change is intended to let the city update fees more quickly as costs rise; opponents worried about the size of some increases and clarity for small vendors.

During public comment a local fruit-stand owner said her seasonal business’s fee jumped from $35 to $120 under the newly proposed schedule. "My fee went from $35 to a hundred and $20," she said, asking the council to review the fruit-stand designation and whether resale of produce triggers the licensing requirement.

Council debate on dog licensing was more extensive. Councilmember Jordan initially moved to approve Ordinance 2025-1 as drafted (which would have removed dog licensing from the municipal code and made it voluntary); that motion failed. Councilmember Rod later moved a substitute that approved the fee-schedule change while removing from the ordinance the proposed repeal of mandatory dog licensing — in other words, leaving mandatory dog licensing in place. The substitute passed on roll call: Jake — yes; Rod — yes; Rex — yes; Jordan — no.

City staff and the clerk described logistics if licensing remains required: Willard currently logs roughly 300 licensed dogs in its records each year, and staff said the city is transitioning records into the CivicReview system. Lisa, a staff member who handles animal licensing, explained the current process and said she can continue to verify rabies vaccinations and issue tags; she and other staff asked residents to bear with a migration of records to the new electronic system.

Mayor Jordan and staff said that although the council left the licensing requirement in place, the city administrator will determine how licensing is processed administratively going forward (for example, by keeping a front-office, in-person option, by using CivicReview online submittals, or a hybrid). Staff told the council they will review the specific fee for seasonal fruit stands and compare county practices as requested.

What happened — motions and votes

- A motion by Councilmember Jordan to approve Ordinance 2025-1 as written (consolidate fees and make dog licensing voluntary) failed (motion maker: Jordan; seconder: Jake; outcome: failed).

- A substitute motion by Councilmember Rod to approve Ordinance 2025-1 to centralize business fees while retaining mandatory dog licensing passed on roll call (mover: Rod; seconder: Jake). Vote: Jake — yes; Rod — yes; Rex — yes; Jordan — no. Outcome: ordinance approved as amended.

Why it matters

The council’s action separates policy (what fees exist) from administrative implementation (how the council or staff can update amounts). That makes it easier for staff to adjust fees for inflation or administrative changes without amending multiple portions of the municipal code. At the same time the council kept dog licensing as a city requirement, addressing public-safety concerns raised during the hearing about rabies, quarantines and returning roaming animals to owners.

Next steps

Staff said they will investigate the fruit-stand fee example, confirm the county’s approach, and bring clarifying information back to council or meet with the business owner. The administrator will also set procedures for how license processing occurs in CivicReview and at the front desk.

(Reporting note: Quotations above are verbatim from the Jan. 9, 2025 Willard City Council transcript; the council used first names only in the record for several members. The article attributes direct quotes only to speakers recorded in the meeting transcript.)