EVERETT — It happens all the time.
A stray gets brought into the Everett Animal Shelter. That animal might need medical care or medication.
No matter how much that costs, the owner pays the city a set fee to pick up the animal.
Taxpayers pay the rest.
The city is conside
ring a change that would allow the shelter to pass on those extra costs to owners who try to claim their stray pets. Everett hasn’t crunched the numbers but spokeswoman Kate Reardon estimated those costs run into the thousands of dollars.
The proposed changes would give the shelter manager the ability to set other charges, including fees for kennels and euthanasia. Right now, the City Council must approve such changes.
The exception is for pet license fees, which are handled by the county.
Everett used to farm out all its surgeries to private vets. In 2009, the city decided to hire its own staff veterinarian to handle minor surgeries, prescribe medications and assess sick and injured animals.
While that streamlined operations, it also did away with a system that forced more owners to pay their bills. The city used to require owners to pay their bills at the vet office before allowing them to retrieve their pets.
The Everett Animal Shelter bears most of the burden for dealing with the county’s strays. A dozen cities and the county have contracts with shelter. Each pays a fee for every animal from its area that ends up at the shelter.
How much people pay in fees depends on what city they live in. People who live within Everett, for instance, pay a $25 impound fee to reclaim a dog plus a $10 fee for every night their pooch was housed.
“We try to collect that money when the person picks up their pet,” Reardon said.
If the person doesn’t have the money, the shelter will often relinquish the pet anyway and bill the amount to the city the person lives in.
Snohomish County officials just approved their own code changes that allow animal control officials to go after owners who don’t pick up their lost pets.
The county is under contract with Everett’s shelter and is trying to recoup the cost to capture, transport and shelter strays.
The Everett City Council is scheduled to talk about the matter again at its June 15 meeting. The proposal got tabled by the council May 25 after Councilwoman Brenda Stonecipher raised concerns that the proposal would limit the public’s ability to comment on fee hikes.
The parks and recreation director has the authority to set fee bumps for the golf courses, for instance, but the public is notified first and invited to comment before the fees are set.
Reardon said that when the proposal comes back, it should include a provision for more public involvement.
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197; dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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