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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — NOVEMBER 25, 2024 3 Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson will change the fees as discussed. Councilmember Fabel said we seem to be in the minority of cities who charge a pet license fee. He wonders if there were no fee, would licensure increase? He asked how licensure serve the public interest. He thought more residents may license their pets if there were no fee attached to it. He doesn't have a strong feeling about this topic. He wondered if we have a problem with unlicensed animals. Councilmember Holden said she wouldn't bother to come in and get a license. She is surprised how many dangerous dogs there are. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson said we just got a report of a dangerous dog last week and that pet was not licensed. She said that some cities have gone to a lifetime license for pets. Most of them said the reason is so many pets are microchipped now. In the past, licensing was the means to find an animal's owner. Councilmember Holden said there are cities that say you must have a city license in order to use a dog park. We don't want our dogs running around with other pets who may have been exposed to something or who are unvaccinated. Councilmember Rousseau said she just doesn't think people are using this. We have 28 cat licenses and 96 dog licenses. There are more than 28 cats and 96 dogs in the City. She doesn't know what the administrative cost is to monitor these licenses. She keeps a photo of her dog's rabies vaccine on her phone. If a resident ran into the situation where they were asked to show their City license, they could say their city doesn't license pets but have the necessary records available if questioned. Councilmember Holden asked how much we pay for the Animal Control Officer. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson wasn't sure. She said the license fee is $30 for two years. Councilmember Holden said the license fees we do receive offset the cost of the Animal Control Officer. Councilmember Fabel said a lifetime license makes sense to him. Councilmember Rousseau still doesn't see the purpose of having this. She asked how many people will want to put a collar on their indoor cat. She thinks the bigger issue is that people should not be letting their cats outside. She doesn't think pet licenses are relevant anymore. Finance Director Yang said the budgeted cost of the Animal Control Contract is approximately $3,000 annually. The prior year spend was $2,160. Mayor Grant said it must depend on the number of dogs he picks up and if they need to be held. He said there are certainly more dogs in the city than there are licenses.