Animal shelter fees going up Oct. 1
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 17, 2016
EVERETT — Fees for most services at the Everett Animal Shelter are going up Oct. 1.
The increases have been in the works since earlier this year.
The city’s Animal Shelter Advisory Board held a public meeting May 25, and comments were accepted through June 1.
The City Council is scheduled to be briefed on the changes Wednesday. No action is required because the council delegated that authority to city staff in 2011, said Paul Kaftanski, an executive director with oversight over the shelter.
The city realized the fees hadn’t been changed in more than five years, he said.
“We were below market in several fee areas,” he said. “We want to make sure our fees are mid-market as other fees are.”
That involves comparing fees to other animal shelters in the region, such as the Seattle Animal Shelter. Other local nonprofit shelters include PAWS in Lynnwood and Purrfect Pals in Arlington.
Fees support about half of the Everett Animal Shelter’s costs, and the fee increases are intended to maintain that funding, Kaftanski said.
The rest is provided by the city’s general fund and by donations from the nonprofit Animal Rescue Foundation, which are earmarked for veterinary services.
The changes include cat adoption fees ranging from $25-150 compared with $75-$100 now, and dog adoption fees ranging from $75-$350, up slightly from the previous maximum of $300.
New fee categories also are being created, such as surrender fees for small mammals or birds ($5), medium-size mammals such as rabbits or ferrets ($20), or parrots or exotic pets like reptiles ($30).
Most licensing fees are rising by up to $10, and additional late charges are being implemented based on the time elapsed since a license expired. Impound fees are getting the largest relative increases, rising from $25 to $50 for dogs, and to $100 for cats.
Last year the Animal Shelter adjusted the redemption fees charged in unincorporated Snohomish County and other jurisdictions that contract with Everett. Those fees are not being affected with the latest changes.
A complete schedule of fee changes can be downloaded from http://bit.ly/2b7u0XM.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
