Dog owners in for major registration fee hike
Fees must go up or big budget shortfall is likely
Hauraki is set to be hit with significant animal control and dog registration fee hikes. Hauraki District Council was scheduled to discuss animal control activity income last week, where it said it needed to increase fees, or it would not meet the 2024/2025 budget.
If the fees were not increased, the council would potentially be left with a budget shortfall of $40,000.
Animal control income in the proposed 2024/25 Long Term Plan was $402,958 and made up of $376,000 from dog registration fees and $26,958 in animal control fees and fines.
A breakdown of registered dogs in the district showed a total of 4356 animals.
The funding policy for dog registration was 100 per cent supported by fees and charges, and the new proposed fees would generate $376,000.
That would see a general registration fee rise from $120 to $135 in the 2024/25 year, and a rise of $90 to $100 for desexed dogs.
Impounding fees would increase up to $20 depending on the number of offences, while microchipping fees would rise from $5 to $35.
The council also proposed to increase stock impounding fees to recover the costs of impounding, callouts and trespassing of stock.
That would see the impounding of deer, calf, heifer, steer, cow, ox, foal, filly, colt gelding and mare double in cost, going from $25 to $50.
Animal control officers’ stock callout fees, regardless of whether or not the stock was impounded, would also rise to $175 from $110.
Council staff recommended proceeding with adopting the changes to meet the budget.
“After the consideration of options, the recommendation is considered to be of overall low significance and as such the recommended form of engagement is to inform the community.”
It was noted infringement fines were set by government in statute, so they were not able to be changed.
There were a number of variables involved as to when the council received income from infringement fines, particularly through the courts.
About two-thirds of those fines related to dog registrations and onethird of the fines related to animal control.