Raise dog license fees

Dear editor:

Mountain Home is overlooking a great revenue source.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association's U.S. pet ownership calculator Mountain Home has an estimated 3,100 dogs. (Based on my neighborhood this would be a low number).

As of June, only 529 dog tags had been sold in Mountain Home. This represents only 17% of the estimated Mountain Home dog population. The City of Mountain Home currently charges $7 for spayed and neutered dogs and $10 for dogs not neutered. This amounts to $18,000-$25,000 dollars in uncollected revenue per year.

I contacted six local cities and found that their dog-licensing fees are all higher than Mountain Home's.

Neutered Not Neutered

Boise $17.90 $43.60

Meridian $16.00 $21.00

($100.00 for vicious)

Eagle $10.00 $25.00

Star $16.00 $45.00

Emmett $10.00 $25.00

Glenns Ferry $7.50 $15.00

Yes, Glenns Ferry charges more than Mountain Home for dog licensing, and they also charge a $5 late fee.

The City of Boise hires summer employees to contact dog owners and issue letters of compliance, and gives the dog owners 30 days to license their dog(s). This summer hire enforcement program easily pays for itself and generates revenue for the city.

Once a dog is in the database it will be a revenue source for many years, as the city easily determines if that dog has a current tag. Perhaps a program like Mountain Home's current code enforcement department would be a good idea.

Other cities also send out mailers (along with a water bill, for example) reminding dog owners of this requirement and, they told me, this usually results in some immediate revenue to the city.

These considerations could generate tens of thousands of dollars of revenue to the city every year. I think a reasonable goal would be to try to license at least 50% of the city's dogs and generate enough money to pay for the animal shelter.

Conclusion: Mountain Home should tap into this revenue source. The dog licensing fees should be increased.

There are economical ways to enforce the ordinance that would result in a lot of revenue to the city. Crunch the numbers and you will see how much money this potentially can bring.

Enforcement, done properly, can not only pay for itself but also result in money to the city.

Ideally, a new program should be considered now and be in place by Jan. 1, 2010, to facilitate the collection of these untapped funds.

Brad Seymour