Assembly hikes dog licensing fees

June 12, 2005

DARRELL L. BREESE\Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Kelly Griffin, vice president Mat-Su Sled Dog Council, walked out of Tuesday's Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting with a confused look on her face.

"Well, I have mixed emotions right now," she said. "I am happy that the assembly has made the dog-registration process a little easier for mushers. But I am disappointed that in the process of making things more efficient that they doubled the registration fees for kennels."

Griffin was referring to an ordinance, which passed unanimously, that restructured the Animal Care and Regulation fee structure.

Those hit hardest by the changes are mushers and other kennel owners, who saw their license fees increase from $25 to $50. The charge for each dog above five will now be $2 per dog, as opposed to the $1-per-dog fee the borough originally charged.

"That increase is really steep," Griffin said. "I know that for some dog mushers it might come down to a choice of getting a license or not."

Griffin estimated that the typical recreational musher has an average of 25 dogs and the more serious Iditarod musher has anywhere from 45 to 100 dogs.

The increase in fees would result in a total of $90 for the recreational musher and $240 for the more serious mushers.

"I understand the concerns about the increased fees," said Dennis Brodigan, director of emergency services for the borough. "It's important to note that there were a variety of ideas presented to the control board as to what the kennel fees should be.

"After much discussion among the staff, a compromise was reached," Brodigan said. "I think this is a fair compromise for all parties affected. We considered all the options and this plan was the most efficient."

Mat-Su Assembly Member Betty Vehrs said the borough has basically created a special license for the mushers.

"This is what the mushers I spoke with indicated they wanted," Vehrs said.

The new kennel license charges $50 for the initial kennel inspection and a three-year license. It also includes license registration of all dogs in the kennel. This pleased Griffin, who dreaded the old system that forced mushers to register every change in kennel population.

"We're happy that the assembly passed the ordinance so we don't have to register every dog individually," Griffin said. "I always had a horrible aversion to going down to the office and listing each and every dog I had, especially with the constant fluctuation in population that kennels experience.

"I might have traded away two or three dogs, or maybe purchased a whole dog team," Griffin said. "Under the old fee structure, I would have had to register every dog, and that was just a big hassle."

Vehrs said sled-dog racing and mushers are a vital part of the borough community, and pointed out that she was proud the borough has also become a destination for many Europeans who have moved here to get into mushing.

"This is where the world's best mushers live," Vehrs said. "We are not trying to make money off their backs.

"I think most of the mushers realize that if they want to have more than five dogs, they have to pay their fair share," Vehrs said.

The passing of the ordinance completes a two-year process undertaken by the Animal Control and Regulation board to restructure the fees. Also among the changes to the fee structure is the creation of a one-year license for $5, for newly adopted cats or dogs (not spayed or neutered). Brodigan pointed out that the reduced fee for the one-year license provides an opportunity for follow-up on adoptions, to check on whether pets have been spayed or neutered.

Currently the Animal Care and Regulation department works at a projected annual expense of $1 million and the finance department anticipates revenue of $330,000.

"The shelter and animal control are funded through a budget item," Mayor Tim Anderson said. "We don't expect the revenue generated to cover the cost of operation."

Local musher and former Anchorage Assembly member John Woods supported the new fee structure, but cautioned the borough to continue its examination of the Animal Care and Regulation department.

"This is but a flea on a dog's back," he said. "The fee structure is, on a scale of 1-100, about a .25. There are other issues in animal care that need to be addressed. Stray dogs, overpopulation and other things need to be taken care of."

The assembly introduced a bond for public hearing that would pay for the expansion of the Animal Care and Regulation Center and allow the borough to address some of the issues raised by Woods.

Darrell Breese may be reached at 352-2267.