AR-News: (IL) Committee votes to hike fees for cat owners

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http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10283811&BRD=1719&PAG=461&dept_id=25
271&rfi=6

EDWARDSVILLE -- Cat owners may soon pay as many fees as dog owners if the 
Madison County Board approves the new animal control ordinance next week.

The board’s Animal Health Committee approved the new animal control ordinance 
Tuesday after plowing through the state’s new mandates and bringing the 
county laws into agreement. Many changes to the previous ordinance were included, 
including now requiring domesticated cat owners to pay a fee and register their 
cats, just as dog owners have been required to do.


"We’re bringing our laws into line with the state laws, and this will help 
pay for the work the (animal control) officers are doing with the calls about 
cats," said Animal Health Committee Chairman Jim Caffrey, D-Granite City. "It’s 
time for cat owners to pay their fair share."

The registration fees for both dogs and cats are $15 annually for an animal 
more than six months old that is not spayed or neutered, and $5 annually for 
animals that are sterilized. Previously, the $15 fee was applied only to dogs 
more than a year old that were not spayed or neutered, another change to the 
ordinance.

The cat registration law would go into effect Jan. 1, if approved by the 
County Board at next week’s meeting, scheduled at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, in 
the County Board Room of the Administration Building on Main Street in Downtown 
Edwardsville.

County officials say they hope the revenue raised by instituting fees for cat 
owners will balance the expected $100,000 deficit in the 2004 budget for 
animal control services. The fees apply to all pet owners countywide.

Another change is the requirement to register litters of both dogs and cats, 
and the payment of a $25 fee per litter within 60 days of the birth.

"Unfortunately, that will be darn impossible to collect," said Dr. David 
Hall, the county administrator of the Animal Control Department.

Rabies vaccinations would be required for all cats under the proposed animal 
control ordinance, including domesticated, farm and feral cats. Also, any 
outdoor cat, whether domesticated or not, would be required to be neutered or 
spayed.

However, the proposed requirement to have all dogs and cats in the county 
implanted with microchips was turned down in favor of the status quo, with 
responsible pet owners voluntarily having the microchips implanted, Caffrey said. He 
said the state law now requires that all animals reclaimed from pounds or 
adopted from shelters must be implanted with a microchip, and that any 
responsible pet owner would have the procedure done without a mandate.

Issues left unsettled include requirements to spay or neuter dogs twice 
captured by animal control officers or dogs that have bitten somebody twice, as 
well as the feral cat colony and caretaker licensing issue. Both matters were 
tabled for further discussion and could be added as amendments to the animal 
control ordinance later.

Madison County Assistant State’s Attorney John McGuire attended the meeting 
to answer legality questions about bringing the county animal control policy 
into agreement with the new state mandates.

The ordinance was approved unanimously by the committee and will be forwarded 
to the County Board for consideration next week.

sherimcwhirter at hotmail.com 
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