ORD-2007-221 - Animal Ordinance Civil Penalty and Fee Increases

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2 evaluated other North Carolina counties' ordinance fees in comparison with Orange County. It also shows historical data on civil penalties in Orange County, which have not been updated since the 1994 -1995 budget cycle. On the basis of this study, staff developed the following recommended changes, doing so in concert with the Animal Services Advisory Board, which formally approved these recommendations. The adjustment of these amounts requires the amendment of section 21 of the ordinance, which has been prepared by the Office of the County Attorney, on the basis of a public hearing. The proposed effective date of these changes is February 4, 2008. As can be seen from the proposed ordinance amendment and the related proposal to amend the Animal Control Collection Policy, a change in language from "civil penalty" to "fee" is being recommended in several instances as well. These include a failure to vaccinate against rabies; a failure to wear a rabies tag; a failure to license; and a failure to allow a required permit inspection. The rationale for these changes is that there should be a fee to recover some of the additional costs that are incurred when pet owners are not in compliance with the County's Animal Control ordinances. Only one reading of the proposed ordinance is required if the Board votes unanimously to approve the ordinance amendment. Assuming a unanimous vote at the November 15, 2007 Board meeting, staff has developed a public relations and outreach plan that begins on December 10, 2007 and includes eight weeks of outreach before the effective date of the ordinance changes. However, if the ordinance amendment is approved by less than a unanimous vote of the Board on November 15th, then there will need to be a second vote on the proposed ordinance amendment and an adjustment to the effective date to allow for the eight -week education and outreach period will need to be made at that time. The public relations plan has been developed by a work group of staff and formally approved by the ASAB. As can be seen, the outreach plan stresses the theme of responsible pet ownership and the benefits of complying with the Animal Ordinance. The outreach includes four major components organized around these themes: a media release, a flyer, public service announcements, and display advertisements. Outreach in accordance with this plan is intended to ensure that individual pet owners and other County residents are all aware of changes in the amount of civil penalties and fees and their rationale in advance of the actual changes. New Amount Previous Amount Failure to Vaccinate against Rabies $200 $100 Failure to License $200 $50 Mistreatment $200 $50 Public Nuisance Violations $50,$100,$200,$300,$400 $25,$50,$100,$150,$200 The adjustment of these amounts requires the amendment of section 21 of the ordinance, which has been prepared by the Office of the County Attorney, on the basis of a public hearing. The proposed effective date of these changes is February 4, 2008. As can be seen from the proposed ordinance amendment and the related proposal to amend the Animal Control Collection Policy, a change in language from "civil penalty" to "fee" is being recommended in several instances as well. These include a failure to vaccinate against rabies; a failure to wear a rabies tag; a failure to license; and a failure to allow a required permit inspection. The rationale for these changes is that there should be a fee to recover some of the additional costs that are incurred when pet owners are not in compliance with the County's Animal Control ordinances. Only one reading of the proposed ordinance is required if the Board votes unanimously to approve the ordinance amendment. Assuming a unanimous vote at the November 15, 2007 Board meeting, staff has developed a public relations and outreach plan that begins on December 10, 2007 and includes eight weeks of outreach before the effective date of the ordinance changes. However, if the ordinance amendment is approved by less than a unanimous vote of the Board on November 15th, then there will need to be a second vote on the proposed ordinance amendment and an adjustment to the effective date to allow for the eight -week education and outreach period will need to be made at that time. The public relations plan has been developed by a work group of staff and formally approved by the ASAB. As can be seen, the outreach plan stresses the theme of responsible pet ownership and the benefits of complying with the Animal Ordinance. The outreach includes four major components organized around these themes: a media release, a flyer, public service announcements, and display advertisements. Outreach in accordance with this plan is intended to ensure that individual pet owners and other County residents are all aware of changes in the amount of civil penalties and fees and their rationale in advance of the actual changes.