Public feedback will be sought on the Whakatāne District Council’s proposed Dog Control Fees and Charges Schedule for 2018/19.
A report on the proposed fees and charges was presented to the Council last week and included a recommendation that a reduced fee be introduced for rural working dogs (not domestic).
The report also recommended that the current fee of $5 for disability assist dogs be eliminated and that the no-fee provision be extended to include Police, Department of Conservation or other Government agencies which utilise dogs for specific tasks relating to law enforcement, security, biosecurity and civil defence.
General Manager Planning, Regulatory and Corporate Services, David Bewley, said a review of the scope of dog registration fees was requested by the council last year. “No change is proposed for annual fees and charges for neutered and non-neutered dogs, which are set at $50 for de-sexed dogs and $75 for entire dogs, if paid on or before 1 August 1, 2018. If paid after 1 August, both fees increase by 50 percent,” he said.
“Currently the Council recognises the need for a reduced fee for disability assist dogs, but does not recognise other working dogs. We’re proposing that that fee be dispensed with and that other working dogs used by Government agencies should also be fee-free. Also proposed is a new fee for rural working dogs which meet the definition in the Dog Control Act 1996, that a dog is kept solely or principally for the purposes of herding or driving stock. That will see a flat fee of $50 charged for working dogs, regardless of whether they have been neutered.”
Mr Bewley said the fee for working dogs aligned with the existing fee for hunt club dogs, which is $50 provided payment is received on or before 1 August, with a penalty fee of $75 if paid after 1 August.
Costs of impounding, microchipping, animal destruction and replacement of registration tags are also proposed to remain unchanged.
The fee for a first impounding is $60, the second impounding is $90, and any third or subsequent impounding is $120. Feeding costs are charged at $7.50 per day, and a microchip transponder implant fee for impounded dogs is charged at $24.50. The fee for a microchip transponder implant fee, at the request of the owner, is $15.
The proposed Dog Control Fees and Charges will be publicly advertised for submissions alongside the Fees and Charges Schedule 2018 – 2021.