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Advisory board previews fee schedule changes, questions rabies quarantine charges
Summary
Board members reviewed proposed ordinance-based fee schedule changes: staff proposed raising daily care and owner-surrender fees and flagged a $200 rabies quarantine charge that some members said may be too low compared with other jurisdictions. Staff noted the ordinance permits manager or city-manager fee waivers for indigent residents.
The Joshua Animal Control Advisory Board considered a preview of proposed ordinance changes to the city’s animal-control fee schedule and discussed rabies quarantine and owner-surrender charges.
Shelter staff (S3) told the board the current impound fee is $20 for the first day and $10 per day thereafter and said the shelter performs a 10-day rabies quarantine for a $200 fee. S3 argued the average cost of care in a shelter environment can be significantly higher and recommended a market survey to set a more realistic daily-care fee.
Board members expressed concern about raising fees that would burden residents and suggested flexible or sliding-scale approaches. S2 and others asked whether fees that apply to animals from outside the city could be tiered; S3 said staff would investigate models (weight-based fees, case-by-case discretion) and return proposed text in an upcoming advisory meeting.
On quarantine policy, S3 explained the 10-day period as a medical and legal practice for rabies control and said vaccination status does not change the quarantine rationale. Members cited examples from other jurisdictions; the transcript includes references to other cities charging up to $140 per day in one remark and a later comment mentioning $1,400 in a different context, which staff flagged as inconsistent and said a formal market survey would resolve the range.
S3 also noted the municipal ordinance allows the manager and city manager to waive or lower fees for indigent residents or special circumstances. No ordinance text was adopted during the meeting; staff said they will draft recommended changes and ask the advisory board for endorsement before presenting ordinance language to City Council.
Next steps: staff will complete a market survey, draft ordinance language for the fee schedule and present recommended changes at the next advisory meeting for board endorsement before referral to City Council.
