Animal Control fees going up in Riverside County

The Board of Supervisors has authorized the Riverside County Department of Animal Services to increase charges for dog licenses and other services but withheld approval of the agency’s request to bundle “owner turn-in” fees, which would have translated to a $134 rate hike on paper.

The county’s current owner turn-in fee is $30. But Animal Services Director Rob Miller pointed out that the existing charge is a “single item” rate that does not reflect the other half-dozen charges for which owners are billed, including the cost of retrieving and boarding the unwanted pet, vaccinating it and fitting it with a collar.

According to Miller, the proposed $163 fee was an effort to aggregate those charges in a single transaction. According to Miller, Animal Services has not sought fee adjustments since August 2011, and rate changes are needed to keep up with increasing operational costs. After some of the board members questioned the fee hike, board Chairman John Benoit directed that the turn-in fee request come back for further analysis at a later date.

Meanwhile some services were approved for rate hikes. Under the revised rate schedule, the cost of a one-year county license for an altered dog will go up a buck, from $16 to $17, while the cost of a license for an unaltered dog will remain $100. Among new fees is a $193 charge for euthanizing a large animal, such as a horse. The Department of Animal Services also now has authority to impose fees for processing a payment plan — $19 — and initiating the collections process — $28.

The agency will reduce fees charged for a few services, including an optional cat license, which will be available for $3 instead of the existing $9, and a one-year Class 1 kennel license for retaining up to 10 unaltered dogs, which will be reduced from $280 to $250.