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Joint Animal Services Commission adopts modest adoption and surrender fee increases, effective Feb. 1, 2026
Summary
The Joint Animal Services Commission unanimously approved modest increases to adoption and owner-surrender fees to help offset rising operating costs. Staff said increases are the first since 2018 and estimated a conservative revenue uptick; commissioners set a Feb. 1, 2026 phase-in to allow public notice.
The Joint Animal Services Commission voted unanimously Dec. 8 to adopt a revised fee schedule for shelter services and set a Feb. 1, 2026 phase-in date to give staff time for public notice and outreach.
Staff presented the changes and the financial rationale. Executive Director Sarah Hawk said the commission has not updated fees since 2018 and that rising costs for care, wages and supplies mean the shelter is not recovering the full cost of services. "We have not updated any of our fees since 2018," Hawk said, and staff conservatively estimated the adjustments would generate about $30,000 in additional revenue.
Under the adopted schedule, cat adoption fees would increase from $70 to $90 and dog adoption fees from $90 to $110; the owner-surrender fee will move from a two-tiered $25 (appointment) / $50 (same day) to a flat $35 per animal. Staff explained that a portion of adoption fees (for example, license and surgery allocations) is passed through to jurisdictions, and that the proposed amounts were benchmarked against six regional shelters, where Joint Animal Services’ fees remain competitive.
Commissioners debated the effective date and outreach plan. One commissioner urged caution about impacts on vulnerable residents and asked how staff would handle responses from the public; Hawk said outreach cannot start until after commission approval but that staff would post PSAs, update the website, create lobby signage and update point-of-sale systems immediately after approval. Hawk recommended monitoring outcomes over six months to determine whether additional adjustments are needed.
The motion to adopt the fee schedule with a Feb. 1, 2026 phase-in passed unanimously. Staff said the additional revenue will be included in next year’s budget processes and that shared revenues to jurisdictions could increase accordingly. The commission directed staff to begin posting notice and preparing public materials following the vote.
