The Thurston County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) is considering adjustments to licensing fees for animals residing in the unincorporated areas of the county.
As discussed during the check-in meeting on March 4, the proposed amendment aims to align dog licensing fees with those of neighboring jurisdictions, with the goal of encouraging dog owners to register their pets.
Commissioner Gary Edwards said the fees, which have remained unchanged for 25 years, are notably lower than those of other jurisdictions.
The board is also considering engaging in conversations with the Joint Animal Services Commission (JASCOM) to explore potential penalties for unlicensed dogs and the enforcement authority of animal control officers.
The fees, charges, and penalties collected would be budgeted to assist with the expenses of enforcing animal control regulations.
The BOCC plans to schedule a public hearing on the proposed resolution before its adoption. The hearing will provide an opportunity for community members to contribute to the discussion on the resolution and associated fees.
Thurston County Municipal Code Chapter 9.10 Animal Control, enacted in 2000, governs the regulation of dogs and other animals within the county's unincorporated areas.
This existing municipal code authorizes setting animal control-related fees and charges by resolution of the BOCC.
Key provisions include mandatory licensing for dogs, designated agents for issuing license tags, acceptance of tattooing or microchipping for identification, penalties for unlicensed dogs, annual fee adjustments, nontransferable licenses, restrictions on tag removal, and provisions for kennel permits.
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C K
Just more, and higher taxes created by elitist parasites, to be extorted from hard-working citizens.. Another way to increase costs and create hard times harder. enough is enough
Tuesday, March 5 Report this
bonaro
The Thurston County Board of Commissioners can mull this all the want but in the end they can pound sand. I live in the County because I do not want to comply with the greedy draconian rules of the city. This is a blatant attempt to devise a way to pry a little more more money out of my wallet and giving nothing in return... Line drawn...
Wednesday, March 6 Report this
bonaro
Thurston County had an animal control officer many years ago but that is now long gone. They need money but apparently haven't defined a place to spent it... This is a hard NO
Wednesday, March 6 Report this
anothername
I pay the pet licensing fee because I want to support the rescue. Raising the cost for rural pets will stop me from doing that. How much will it cost for the county to drive all over the place to try and find unlicensed dogs? I would guess a lot more than the fee increase. I'd rather just give the rescue a donation of my choosing.
Wednesday, March 6 Report this
hptrillium
I did not know that there was a dog license law. I think it is a bad idea. Seems like it would cost more to enforce than it is worth. Volunteer donations for rescuing dogs is a good idea, but it would have to be advertised so people would know about it.
Wednesday, March 6 Report this
Yeti1981
What pet licensing fee? Sounds like another way to get money from people who already have enough expenses in their life.
Wednesday, March 6 Report this
SecondOtter
If the additional fees could assure me that when I call JAS to PLEASE come get dumped pets, they would actually DO so. But they don't. There are three dogs running in my area, loose, and obviously have been dumped, and the people at JAS just said, oh, take them in and give them a good home. It's even worse for cats. I humanely trapped a stray cat, obviously feral, and took it to JAS. They insisted I needed an appointment, which meant, keep it in the trap, for what, days? If I fed or watered it, suddenly it would become """my Cat" and I would have to pay $60 to 'release' it to JAS. When I told them it was NOT my cat, it was obviously feral, and was seen killing songbirds, I was treated as if I were a liar, they wanted me to adopt it, pay for neutering, shots, flea control, and then RELEASE it back into the ''''community"".
They won't even come out to talk to the owners of obviously neglected pets. When you hear a dog crying in the backyard of someone's house, chained to a T post, no cover, no water, they won't budge out of their office.
Thursday, March 7 Report this
FordPrefect
I’ll consider licensing my dogs when they clear the drug addicts out of the woods around the walking trails.
Thursday, March 7 Report this
CharlesGood
All sounds well and good on paper BUT…
What about us that have acherage and the dogs roam freely never being a problem and never will. I say that because every one of us that has 5, 10, even 20++ acreage have the dogs trained NOTto run freely anywhere , even on others property. They get sent home if they do and iany neighbor has the right to kick their butt if they do. Even new pups are trained that way. The get yelled at in a tone they know not to do it again.
40 years and no problems. Well, neighbor got a new pup and it came over to play but got the GET OUTTA’ HERE. Neighbor heard it , walked over and did exactly that. Taught the dog his limits. No fences needed but we all have pasture fences.
All the neighbors dogs along with mine have chips.
I understand parts of Thurston Unencorperated included neighborhoods with housing tracks. But that shouldn’t affect us , ROCHESTER area. We do just fine. We don’t like it and shouldn’t have to pay for housing tracts misfortunes
We don’t want it. Please consider 3-4-5-20 acres parcels not to have leash laws. Yes there are times we have a strang dog come thru or got loose but we , social media , post about it and someone takes it in until morning where our vets check for a chip, Free Of Charge. If nothing, it goes right up to Lacey for more help..
Again , we vote NO from this south part of Thurston.
Thx
Charles Good
Chuckie_B_Good@msn.com
Friday, March 8 Report this
Lindern
I'm really disappointed to hear that Gary Edwards, seems to be all for raising taxes in Rural Unincorporated areas. Increasing the cost of licensing a dog, and/or imposing a fee for licensing a dog where none has been required in the past, is just that, raising taxes. Many people live in the Rochester area for the lower costs of living from that of living in the cities or in incorporated towns. The cost of living due to raises in energy costs from PSE, gasoline, and the cost of food is already prohibitive for some of us. There are a lot of Senior Citizens in the area, that depend on their dog for companionship and for safety concerns, and live on an extremely limited income. ALL of you commissioners know that, already, but you are all about the money. A lot of us thought Gary Edwards was different in that regard, but apparently, he has crossed over to that side now, too. If you are going to put a tax on dogs, then be fair and do it for the cats in the area as well! We have a far greater problem with cats here, than we do with dogs! We are overpopulated with cats, both feral and privately owned cats, who are allowed to roam freely, day and night. Who kill chickens to the point of me having to give away the last of my flock, due to the cats killing my chickens. I have had to remove the bird feeders as they leap up and grab a songbird, bite the head off and drop the bird and leave it lie. The **** in my raised garden beds, and are so inner bred, some even **** on top of the lettuce, and don't attempt to bury it. They make a huge mess on my back porch, which is difficult for me to keep cleaning it due to balance issues from a bad foot surgery. CATS are the problem here, not the occasional dog that gets out. Neighbors here, go on facebook and quickly find who the owner is, and they come and get it. Not so, with the multitudes of cats roaming around.
Monday, March 11 Report this