As part of New York State’s plan to cut spending, another operation will be passed on to local governments for administration - dog licensing. The change will save the state $325,000, but what will it cost the towns and counties?
Gov. David Paterson signed a law on June 22 that will put the total operation in the hands of towns and cities. The roles of county government and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) will be eliminated on Jan. 1, 2011.
A guidance bulletin released by NYSDAM to help municipalities address the changes states that eliminating this operation as part of budget trimming will give the agency more opportunity to focus on animal and human diseases, such as bird flu, tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease.
Municipalities will get 100% of the license fee. Previously the state received $2.50 for neutered dogs and $7.50 for un-neutered from each fee collected.
State tags will no longer be issued. Each municipality will have to purchase quantities of tags and forms for registration.
A local municipality can charge any fee they deem appropriate. In discussion at the Benton Town meeting on Aug. 11, Supervisor Bob Clark said it would seem appropriate to set a county-wide fee to keep consistency. Municipalities are required to collect a surcharge of at least $1 for altered dogs and at least $3 for unaltered dogs to be deposited in the NYS Animal Population Control Program fund.
The guideline urges towns to act fast and consult legal counsel so local laws are in place when the state program ends.
Dog license renewals will be issued by the state through November, after that municipalities will take on the task. Clerks have been notified that data must be extracted from state files by Dec. 5.
According to the state guidance bulletin, 932 town clerks, 61 city clerks and 40 village clerks are currently authorized to issue dog licenses. The document also states, “County government may administer dog licensing programs for municipalities within their jurisdiction. This is an optional provision and subject to agreement between these two levels of government.”
Jerusalem Town Clerk Sheila McMichael said there is uncertainty regarding the costs to the towns. She has discussed the changes with clerks in other counties, who have told her the Albany offices dealing with dog licensing are already not answering the phones regarding questions.
McMichael said the town has sent the information to their attorney for review in order to get rules and regulations in place before January. She says she still has some dog tags on hand. She doesn’t know what will happen with renewal forms, she says August renewals have not been received yet. The state has always sent a three page renewal to owners and the town has followed up with a “friendly reminder” card and delinquent notices. “It won’t be a fancy state form, but we will have to come up with one,” McMichael says.
