HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/20/2015 Work SessionCity of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
TUESDAY JANUARY 20, 2014
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg
presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Wylie, Moore, Ralston, Woodrow and
Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City
Attorney Mary Bridget Smith, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
1. Animal Control Program Discussion.
Mike Harman, Services Bureau Manager, presented the staff report on this item.
Mr. Harman said he was here to discuss the Animal Control program and seek direction on whether or
not to prepare a draft ordinance requiring veterinarians to report vaccinations to the Police Department
Animal Control program to ensure vaccinated dogs are also licensed.
The City has a code requiring that dogs be licensed by their owners. Approximately 60-70% of the
animals the Animal Control officer encounters in the street do not have a license for a variety of
reasons. Licensed dogs are often returned home before the owner realizes they are missing, and the
City saves money by avoiding the cost of sheltering a found animal at Greenhill. One of the ongoing
challenges in implementing the licensing code is informing dog owners of the requirement and
enforcing compliance.
Every couple of years, the Police Department evaluates the programs to see how well they are working
and the cost benefit to the City. The Animal Control program is a good program and is on solid
footing. They received positive reviews in how they handle most lost -dog calls. The current Animal
Control officer, Brian Austin, has been with the department since 2010 and has done a good job with
social media and increasing the number of dogs returned. He feels it would be much easier if the dogs
have a license.
Lane County has had such an ordinance in place since 2003, and the City of Eugene also has a similar
ordinance. County staff report that the number of dogs with County licenses has more than doubled
since implementation of their ordinance.
Veterinarians, while expected to be initially opposed to the program, potentially benefit from this
ordinance because their customers receive a reminder from the Vet to update their pet's vaccination
and also a renewal notice from the City for the license which requires the vaccination.
The Police Department Animal Control Program is ranked as a `Quartile 3' Program in the Priority
Based Budget model. The current program costs approximately $130,000 per year to operate and has
historically generated approximately $30,000 in revenue. A recent increase in basic license fees, more
closely matching regional partners, is on track to increase revenues this year to about $54,000.
Program revenues would more closely match expenditures if a higher percentage of residents were
complying with the existing city code requiring the license.
Councilor Woodrow asked if the City had polled the Springfield veterinarians to see how they feel.
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Council Work Session Minutes
January 20, 2015
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Mr. Harman said they have not
Councilor Woodrow said she had seen a news report that quoted a Springfield veterinarian who had a
concern regarding privacy. She noted that vets use software that itemizes each cost and she is
concerned they may charge for that service as it may involve staff time. She asked how it would be
enforced. There could be people that don't come in to get their vaccinations and exams in order to
avoid being reported. The original purpose for licensing in order to locate pet's homes is not as
important because of microchips. She would rather have a program where we campaign the positives
of licensing your pet rather than punitive. She would like to see them capitalize on the good -will the
animal control program already has with the current animal control officer. She is comfortable not
having the animal control position not being fully self -funding and would be willing to continue to
find funding for that position.
Councilor Pishioneri said they had a similar conversation years ago. The animal program is on good
footing, so he doesn't see a problem. The public will see this negatively and a financially driven step
by the government. He is uncomfortable involving private businesses (veterinarians) to partake in
enforcement steps.
Councilor Wylie said she agrees, and doesn't like mandatory reporting to get funding. She wondered
about the issue of people not getting their dog vaccinated so they aren't reported. She would be
interested to hear about Eugene's experience.
Mr. Harman said it is hard to say if people aren't getting their dog vaccinated. The fine for not getting
licensed is $110. Once Animal Control deals with an animal at -large or a barking dog, they enforce
any other violations and licensing if needed.
Councilor Wylie asked if they had talked to Eugene about the effect of the ordinance.
Mr. Harman said the County said it was not difficult for the veterinarians. He described the process
once the County staff gets the list from the veterinarians.
Councilor Wylie said having more dogs licensed, knowing who has had their rabies shot, and making
the community safer might be a way to put away any feelings of negativity towards reporting. She felt
they should weigh the good in the community with the reporting by the veterinarians.
Councilor Ralston said he was uncomfortable having that information being turned over and saw no
clear benefit. We don't have a rabies problem in our community. If a person doesn't want to license
their dog, he doesn't want to make them.
Councilor VanGordon said he is also uncomfortable with mandatory reporting. We would need to
have a pretty high bar if expecting the vets to do something, such as an outbreak of disease. There is a
strong argument to increase dog licensing in the community, and he feels the Animal Control program
is critical. He would be open to other programs and ideas that might help drive an increase in the
amount of dog licenses in the community, such as online licensing. The reporting is not the right
solution, but there are things that could be done to improve services and cut costs to make it more
sustainable. He would encourage that conversation. He doesn't want to trade the good will the Animal
Control officer has built for additional funds.
Councilor Pishioneri said he is not seeing a need for this with a major issue. The County program
involved going out and actively enforcing, and going home to home. He asked if Eugene and Lane
County could show a drop in rabies or bites since they have implemented the program. If there is not
a major need, he feels they should focus their time on issues that have to be addressed and will show
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January 20, 2015
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some good. He agrees that making things more efficient is great and they should move in that
direction.
Councilor Moore said it is part of the City Code to be licensed, yet we are not enforcing the Code.
She asked if instead of asking veterinarians to report vaccinations, they could ask them to handle
licensing. She agrees they should look at other approaches to encourage licensing and try to create a
level playing field for those that are getting their dog licensed. Maybe they could find another way to
track dogs rather than licensing.
Councilor Woodrow said if they look at enforcing, it will involve more staff time and resources. They
are already taking money out for Animal Control so funding for enforcement would be hard to find.
Licensing dogs at the veterinarian may bring up the same concerns regarding privacy because they
would need to turn that over to the City.
Mr. Harman said during the last 5-6 years, the City has offered to partner with the veterinarians to
license pets at the clinics. A couple of veterinarians do that, but smaller offices felt it was too much to
train their staff and have chosen to opt out. They regularly put information about licensing on the
FaceBook page, the Animal Control officer goes to the National Night Out event, the Justice Center
Open Houses, and other community events to promote licensing, which has helped slightly.
Councilor Ralston said he is not sure why people don't want to license their pet. He asked what it cost.
Mr. Harman said to license a spayed or neutered dog for one year, it cost $15. They can be put on the
same cycle as their rabies shots every three years with a discount. This is an annual fee and there is a
reduced rate for seniors.
Councilor Ralston said every puppy gets vaccinated so that does make sense for people to license their
dog at that time. Otherwise leave it alone.
Mr. Harman said the rabies vaccination is every three years and could coincide with licensing
Councilor VanGordon said the value in licensing pets of getting pets returned in an older view and has
changed with microchips and social media. It might be worthwhile to have a discussion about the
current value of licensing. He suggests expanding the definitions of the pros of licensing. He asked if
people got a ticket or a warning if Animal Control comes out on a call and the animal id not licensed.
Mr. Harman said the owner gets a warning with 30 days to get their dog licensed. If they don't license
the dog within 30 days, Animal Control will follow up.
Councilor VanGordon asked how many times Animal Control made contact last year. It was about
600 times. With the rate of dogs unlicensed, those calls will naturally bring an increase in licensing.
Mr. Harman said under the current system, it could take about 10-15 years, and with a reporting
program it could take about 3 years.
Councilor Moore asked if there was a requirement at the Humane Society that dogs that get vaccinated
are reported to the city.
Mr. Harman said not in Springfield, but if part of the adoption from the Humane Society included a
vaccination, it would be reported to the City of Eugene or Lane County.
Councilor Moore asked if they could include reporting from the Humane Society in our Code.
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Council Work Session Minutes
January 20, 2015
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Councilor Ralston said it is difficult to enforce
Councilor Pishioneri said like other City codes, we enforce these as we get complaints. Everyone
knows they need to license their dog. He feels those cited should get fined rather than just getting a
warning because people should know.
Councilor Wylie said she prefers the warning. If Animal Control is underfunded, we may regret if we
have to discontinue the program. Sometimes the City needs to do things that are unpleasant to fund the
services needed.
Mr. Harman said the program was currently funded, and he is not recommending doing away with
program. It does draw some of its funding from the General Fund.
Mayor Lundberg said there is a general sense that we don't want to force reporting and compliance,
although it wouldn't be a hardship for many veterinarians that are already reporting for Eugene and
Lane County. We need to find the incentive for having a license, rather than it feeling invasive and
mandatory. They could look at ways to allow people to voluntarily contribute, which might be a way
veterinarians want to participate. Some people aren't aware that once they get the rabies tag, they also
need a license, so educating the public is important. She feels Animal Control is of significant
importance to the community so they need to come up with other ideas. Maybe part of the licensing
fee could go towards scholarships.
Councilor Pishioneri said perhaps the City should enact code requiring each veterinary office to put up
a poster of requirements of being a dog owner.
Mr. Grimaldi said there were requests for information from the City of Eugene and Lane County.
Since they Council is not pursuing such an ordinance, they will not gather that information.
Discussion was held regarding whether or not they need to implement a code for the posters. Council
determined that Code is not required, but putting up a poster would be encouraged.
Mr. Harman said staff would work with veterinarians. They had always been very cooperative.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6:42 p.m.
Minutes Recorder — Amy Sowa
Christine L. Lundberg
Mayor
Attest:
Amy Som
City Recorder