By Richard Quinn
The Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH
There are an estimated 300,000 Fidos and Whiskers in this city. Less than 10 percent are registered.
Who cares?
Well, when one of those pets bites someone, animal control officers want to know if it is registered and if it has a rabies vaccination.
Plus, those missing pet fees could be worth $1.5 million a year - enough money to build a new Animal Control facility if the City Council endorses a plan it will hear about today.
The proposal calls for increasing the city's pet registration fees, getting veterinarians to collect them - instead of the city treasurer - and then asking the General Assembly for permission to raise those costs even higher.
The money raised from those fees over the next decade could pay for new animal control and public safety buildings at Virginia Beach's Leroy Road complex, which tops a list of city facilities most in need of repair.
Dave Hansen, the city's finance chief, said that if Virginia Beach can make it easier for people to get pet licenses, then more people will.
"You can't say, 'Let's raise the fee and make more money,' " Hansen said. "You can't make more money without compliance."
T he keys to compliance are the vets, Hansen said.
A new state law already has veterinarians working with the city treasurer to report rabies vaccinations. John Atkinson, the treasurer, said his office is creating a reporting procedure to comply with the new law.
Hansen wants the city to piggy back pet licenses onto that system.
Veterinarians who choose to could gather the fees for the city - with a $1 collection fee per license - when they process rabies vaccinations, Hansen said.
Some in the animal industry say letting veterinarians offer the licenses is a logical step, especially if pet owners are already there for rabies vaccinations.
"I think it's easier," said Marsha Gray, a receptionist at Pet Care Veterinary Hospital on Virginia Beach Boulevard. "You have a one-stop shop basically. It was kind of a hassle to do it and then send people to another location."
Hansen, who first looked at pet fees at the request of Councilman Bill DeSteph, wants to increase compliance and costs.
Today, the city charges $10 to register pets that haven't been spayed or neutered; $2 for ones that have been. Hansen proposes raising that to $25 for animals that haven't been spayed or neutered; and, if they have been, $5 for cats and $7 for dogs.
Hansen also wants to raise animal cremation and impoundment fees.
The city needs state approval to go to a $25 registration fee. The current state cap on pet license fees is $10. Beach leaders will probably ask the state to raise that limit this fall.
Hansen also wants to ask legislators to give cities the power to require veterinarians to sell pet licenses.
"When the city treasurer sends you a bill for $2 to renew your cat or dog license, I don't think anybody takes it serious," Hansen said. "I go to the vet, get him inoculated, get his teeth cleaned, get his ears sewed up from a cat fight... he'll get my money. I haven't empowered the vet to say, 'Oh, Mr. Hansen, I see you haven't renewed your license.' "
With less than 10 percent of pet owners registering their animals, the city earned $73,500 on animal licenses in 2006.
Had all owners registered their spayed or neutered animals, the city would have generated nearly $600,000, Hansen estimated. If the new fees are adopted, the city could generate more than $1.5 million, he said.
Sharon Adams, executive director of the Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said she supports the plan to register more pets because more licenses means more rabies vaccinations.
"Virginia Beach has a big rabies problem," she said.
Valerie Thompson, an environmental health supervisor for Virginia Beach, said that through Aug. 25, the city had 17 reported cases of rabies. Since 1999, the city had 118 reported cases.
Atkinson said the public safety implications of those cases are just as important as added revenue for the city's coffers.
"If a dog or an animal bites someone, how do we find out who, what and when," Atkinson asked. "That's where this licensing part comes in. Ultimately, you've got the public's health at issue."
Richard Quinn, (757) 222-5119, richard.quinn@pilotonline.com
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They must be reading 1984
Big Brother is here!!
figure this out
Mu new puppy just turned 4 months old and was able to get her rabies shot, so I go to get her license and $25.00 later, I notice when I get home that it is only good until Dec 31, 2007... WTF!!! Just another way for this hell hole to rape more money from us.
TERM LIMITS
Another fine example for the arguement for badly needed term limits for all levels of politicians; especially local politicians.
I'm just pet sitting!!!
That's my argument. hehe!!!
Vets + Government
Separation of Vets & State that's what I say.
Vets are not employed by the government, nor are they civil servants. I seem to remember there was a War of Independence or something regarding over-taxing? Now we're too scared of massive government to fight back!
Not a beach resident but....
I'm a pet owner who pays my pet fees every year, but I have to say, I don't agree with VA Beach wanting to force vets to force the tax fees from their clients. That's just asking those to not want to bother having their pets cared for out of fear of being force to pay these fines. If the city wants the money so badly, do it yourself! Don't force a third party to do your dirty work for you!
And John G....I had to laugh at your comment about your cat working here on a visa. Great comment! I hope he is enjoying his "job".
tax tax tax
Maybe VA Beach could use their $200,000.00 facial recognition equipment to track whether a dog/cat is registered. It never caught a fugitive and is not being used now. Who cares about illegal aliens as long as all dogs and cats are legal.
So if pets are like people...
...what's the problem? I don't own any pets, so I honestly couldnt care less. They are just something else that you need to take care of that will eventually die. But if pets are like people, like I hear so many animal lovers say, whats the issue? It's a heck of a lot less taxes than real people pay, and it seems like a small price to pay for the protection of other animals. (Which in the short term is what VA Beach will do with the money) But maybe I just dont get it, and I'm sure someone will point that out. I never thought of pets like people. Last time I checked you cant buy a person in the mall....
Answer me this.....
I have two pets and they both are registered. Why should I pay $4 a year for a license when their rabies vaccine is good for three years? The city should not charge on a yearly basis. They should only charge like when you renew plates once every two years.
Tax Tax Tax
What else are we going to be taxed on? I tseems like every time you turn around city council is taxing us for some other reason. When will it all stop? Come on city council, how greedy do you have to be? You have sucessfully turned a community that was once financialy reasonable to live in and are now nickle and dimeing us to death to line your golden coffers. That "sucking economic noise" you hear is not Oceana closeing it's front gate but your residents leaveing our city to live somewhere else. Listen to the citizens not your pocket book!!
why bother
it does no good to comment here no matter what we say or do the city does what they want
cat visa
John G. good to see that your cat is legally working the mice job with a visa. If he didn't have a visa though the cat patrol would just ignore and release him if he could not prove a legal address.
You people are missing the point
So...civilian veternarians becoming the tattletales for the city. We are moving in a dangerous direction here. I will start a business driving pets that need shots out of state just to get around this crap...cities and local vets will lose money...all you veternarians better think about that before climbing into bed with the city officials.
Pets
Now I have to pay a registration fee with the city, one with my condo association for having a pet, etc. etc. etc.
You have people trying to do a good thing by adopting pets and getting them out of the SPCAs and you tax them on doing this.....
Come on Virginia Beach!
What The .... ?? !!
Doesn't the city council have anything better to do than to tax its residents to death? As previously stated, the surplus would have gone a long way in updating the animal control building, but no, instead we'll get vets to do our dirty work for us. Come on! Stop the nickel and dime-ing of the tax paying pet lovers. Want to collect more fees? How about making the hassle of regering a pet easier by allowing it to be done on-line, with rabies shots confirmed automatically somehow. Stop being so freakin' greedy Councilmen!
Bad idea
You are gonna put vet's in a bad customer/client relations situation by asking them to collect city money. Also ,it will probably discourage lots of people from going to the vet for other crucial vaccinations or medical attention if they cant afford the higher fees. If they feel they will be cornered while trying to get medical attention for the pets,they will just skip the vet all together. And no on wants that......Oh ,they could quit giving private, for-profit companies $300,000 in moving expenses to relocate to a new office across the street if they really need money......*cough* Pilot....eh hmm...Waste not want not.
My animals are vaccinated
But I have yet to actually register them with any city. I don't understand why you're supposed to actually register an animal. If you ask me, as long as people are able to prove they have vaccinated their animals against rabies etc. then leave them alone. There is truly no reason people should have to pay to own an animal if they've already paid for the animal. Although here's a good question. If we have to pay for a license for an animal does this mean we get to claim them on our taxes come tax time? Stupid is what I call this.
blah, blah, blah.....Typical ...
Vets are not tax collectors, and shouldn't ask to be. Typical of the Beach City Council, always wanting to find some new way of taxing those that they are suppose to represent. Surprised they didn't go to the pet store owners and ask that they collect the fees when they sell the animals. And why just dogs and cats ? How about fees for mice and fish ? Would not put it past them to try......
Too Much
I have a licensed dog. I renew this license every year. To increase the price of registering and renewing this license does not appeal to me at all. Years ago in Norfolk Animal Contol officers went door to door checking for dog license. Every since experiencing this, I make sure to license my pets. It is very annoying to have to subsidize the slackers (in every aspect of life). If vets starts collecting the fee for the city, I am sure these people will just go to another city - there are at least five of the very close.
Taxes
Yes it'another way of collecting money.
This is called selective enforcement. The city will take the easy route to get money. There are so many other ways they could get the money.
With all the tax money they get from tax payers for their many projects, how does the tax payer benefit ? If the city want money for their pet projects why should the tax payer suffer. What do we get in return ?
Enough Already!!
Come on now. Our property taxes are already through the roof, our prepared food tax is 10% and now the City wants to raise pet registration fees? Will there be a discount for senior dogs? In dog years my Lab is approaching 65. I have to laugh at this because my beloved Virginia Beach is becoming a prohibitively expensive place to live.
Enough is enough
The city of Virginia Beach needs to keep their hands off my wallet. They have more than enough money already coming in...they just don't have a clue how to budget it appropriately! To echo the sentiments already expressed - Vote them out! It's time to get new leadership for this city as the current leadership lacks the actual ability to lead!!
What if he gets hit by a car?
Do I have to provide a death certificate?
Another Tax to Control Us
Those who choose not to spay or neuter their pet are penalized by a higher tax? What right does the gov't have to dictate that? "It's bad to smoke so let's tax the smokers; it's bad to drive too fast so let's tax the speeders; it's bad to not spay/neuter your pet so let's tax them too." Our right to make our own lifestyle choices - our right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness - is being incrementally encroached upon with a tax here and a tax there. And each time, those who are not taxed stand by and allow the taxation because, "Well, then they shouldn't do such and such." They are we, and until we stand together and Vote for freedom, the gov't will continue to control us with taxes.
I have an idea
Do away with city pet licenses. Instead, tack an $11 fee to the cost of a rabies shot - $10 goes to the city (with pet and owner info), and the vet keeps $1 to cover increased administrative burden. The fee would go to the city of the owners residence (no exemption for out-of-staters, so there would be no benefit to concealing your address.) Win/win, I think, especially since the vets have to report rabies vaccinations anyway.
Vet there for pets heath
My dog is not neutered. He's an indoors dog, never out without a leash. He's old, near the end. Yet I will now have increased fee's because I never got him an operation? In his 15 years he never made any babies. I understand the rabies vaccine is also good for up to five years, the yearly dose is only given to be sure. My dog reacts badly now to his shots. Am I going to be forced by my government to decide between his continued health and getting a shot he might be fine skipping a year on? Is the vet going to be put into the position of having to consider the law over my pets health?
Maybe I will take my pet to another vet in another city. That will create no conflict for the vet.
Of course!
I knew this plan couldn't just be about making people register their pets. Here we have it! Virginia Beach just wants more money. Of course. Virginia Beach always wants more money, and more and more and more! When will this madness end? Would they rather see all of these animals dumped in shelters to die when their owners cannot pay what the city wants them to pay for the privilege (as far as the city is concerned, we don't pay for our own pets' care and food, it's a city burden somehow) of owning a pet. It's time for this money grubbing to stop and the city of Virginia Beach to take its hand out of our pockets!
Hold on a minute!
Hold on a minute!
The fees are going to more than double.
The vets have to do all the work.
The pet owner / taxpayer does not get anything more out of the increased fee.
There is a budget surplus.
Advocates for a new animal control building said they did not need any of the $32M "surplus" left over from the city budget because their new building was already budgeted.
It seems the residents of VB are getting fleeced yet again.
Anything to generate more revenue to waste i guess!
Typical VB excuses for tax increases...
If they really want to build a new animal control center, how about they take 1.5 million from the 8 million dollar Taj-Mahal of a "bridge" they plan on building "downtown"?
I know I should...but
I have animals...and they are not registered....I know, I know, I am a horrible resident.....but they are up to date on all shots and are well taken care of. To be honest, I have even downloaded the forms and filled them out....but ya know what....getting down to the city offices and waiting in line for some nasty lady to hassle me is not on the top of my list of things to do....so, perhaps if my vet could do this for me my pets would be registered...until then...."ummm, what pets????"