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ARDEN HILLS CITY COI.INCIL WORK SESSION - NOVEMBER 12,2024 Councilmember Rousseau has some questions about the dog and cat licenses. She thinks surrounding communities are going away from that with the option to microchip pets. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson said currently we have 28 cat licenses and 93 dog licenses. Mayor Grant asked if Councilmember Rousseau has an issue with the proposed fee for 2025. Councilmember Rousseau wondered if it is necessary. It seems like a low number of licenses. She would like to discuss it. Councilmember Holden asked how much we pay for the Animal Control Officer. Interim City Administrator Jagoe said that is broken out with the Ramsey County Sheriffs Office. She could bring that number back to a later discussion. Councilmember Holden said if we don't fund that through licensing, we're in the deficit even more. Mayor Grant takes his dogs to a lot of parks. There are parks in some cities that are posted that you need to have a license, or you aren't allowed to take your dog to the park. There are cities that require it. Councilmember Rousseau asked about the cat licenses. There are more than 28 cats in our city. She just wonders if the ordinance is even applicable. The kennel license is another fee she is questioning. She thinks Boston Scientific does animal testing. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson said we license the business, as a whole. We don't license the individual components of their business. Councilmember Rousseau asked if a PetCo came to the city, would they need a kennel license. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson said we have two types of kennel licenses. They have generally been for residential use. Interim City Administrator Jagoe said if a business like PetCo or if someone wanted to do overnight boarding, we would look at the definition of land use and zoning code for a kennel. Councilmember Holden said there was a situation where l6 dogs were not being cared for and they just barked all the time. In situations like that, we can revoke the license and make them remove the dogs. Councilmember Rousseau thinks we should keep the kennel license. She was just seeking a little more information on what the definition of a kennel is. She's also curious to know about the community gardens. She wondered how many licenses we have done for that. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson said there are l5 total plots available and they fill up every year. t6