The case for pet licensing

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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Sure, $60,000 doesn't sound like much to make from licensing pets in Cedar Rapids. That amount is only about 10 percent of the city's annual cost for animal control alone.

The actual amount of money to be made from licensing is anyone's guess, but other benefits are clear.

Licensing would make it easier to reunite lost pets with owners, and it could encourage more Cedar Rapids pet owners to spay or neuter their pets.

And we suspect there's revenue to be made, fairly, by charging Cedar Rapids pet owners a small annual licensing fee, as City Council is poised to do. We support the proposal.

In a split decision late last month, City Council members passed the first reading of an updated animal control ordinance that would require pet owners to license their cats and dogs to the tune of $10 per year for neutered animals, $35 per year for those which haven't been “fixed.”

Seniors would be granted a free lifetime license for up to three altered animals, as the ordinance change reads now.

Councilors also may consider wording that would exempt disabled pet owners from the fees.

For the others, it's a reasonable expense. Pet owners who spay or neuter their furry friends are likely to pay more for a single bag of dog food than they would to license those animals for an entire year.

Three councilors opposed the idea. They argued that the costs were too high for pet owners, or that it wouldn't bring in enough revenue.

But we agree with Council member and pet owner Chuck Wieneke, who said he felt a responsibility to contribute in some way to help pay for animal control costs.

The Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control Center has seen unprecedented numbers of strays since the 2008 flood.

Manager Diane Webber told us this week they already have handled about 2,500 animals this year. She expects that number to reach 3,000 before year's end.

That's several hundred more animals than they handled annually before the 2008 flood. Between the increased workload and the need for a new animal shelter on the horizon, extra support is justified.

More than 20 other Iowa cities in Iowa require pet licenses, including Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty.

“Almost everybody does, actually,” Webber said. “Even little towns around here, with populations of 10,00 or 20,000, are licensing.”

Cedar Rapids required pet licenses, too, until the mid-'90s, when administrative costs became too expensive, she said. But advances in technology and outside contracting options mean that's no longer the case.

In fact, licensing now could save costs, making it easier for animal control officers to contact owners and return lost pets instead of checking them in at the shelter.

“It's a pet's free ticket home,” Webber said.