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Council adopts animal-control fee schedule; ACO emphasizes microchipping
Summary
Council adopted a revised animal-control fee schedule that sets owner-surrender, relinquish, transport and quarantine fees; Officer Miranda urged microchipping as the primary ownership verification method and council discussed transport logistics to Las Cruces and benchmarking.
Officer Miranda, the city's code enforcement and animal-control officer, presented a proposed fee schedule intended to recover operational costs and encourage microchipping. Proposed items included an $85 owner surrender fee, a $60 animal-relinquish fee, $40 animal transport, a quarantine fee of $19 per day and other line items for permits, kennels and deceased-animal disposal. "The microchip is the only reliable and legal recognized method that animal control has to immediately confirm ownership of a stray animal," she said.
Councilors questioned fee comparability with nearby municipalities and the logistics of impounding and transporting animals. The city manager acknowledged current transport times to Las Cruces can be about 45 minutes one way and said staff are exploring local partnerships to reduce travel time and cost; the council voted unanimously to approve the fee schedule with councilors praising Miranda's work and asking for a follow-up briefing when Garza's analysis is complete.
