Pets that cause problems in the neighborhood could become more expensive for owners under a new city proposal.
The proposal is part of an ongoing process to examine fees and fines throughout all city departments, City Manager Doug Krieger said.
As part of the proposal, Deputy Chief of Police Gary Bolt said, those who own animals deemed ?dangerous? could be subject to a $100 penalty, either in addition to a yearly license fee or as a one-time fine. He said all the details have not been determined, but the idea is to give the city the power to leverage financial consequences on those who own problem pets.
?This fee is something that just puts a little more teeth into it,? he said.
Currently, the city does not impose fines or fees to those with ?dangerous? animals, but there is a process to deem a pet as such. Bolt said if an animal bites a neighbor, an administrative hearing can be scheduled for Naperville Animal Control and the pet owner to state their cases. If the animal is found to be dangerous, as defined by city code, the owner may be required to install a larger fence, be kept in a kennel when outside or other actions to secure the pet.
City code defines a dangerous animal as ?any animal which, without provocation, attacks or injures a person who is peaceably conducting himself in any place where he lawfully may be.?
Bolt said it has not been determined if any new ordinance, if written and approved, would apply to any animal or just dogs, though he said most problems in the past have dealt with canines.
?Historically we have not had any issues with any other animal,? he said, adding that the department has not seen a high number of these cases annually. ?The danger is that if you do have a dangerous animal, the danger is pretty significant. When we have had these (issues) they tend to be pretty significant.?
The proposal would also raise fees for general pet licenses in the city. Currently, pet owners are required to obtain an annual license for each pet for $4 per year for spayed or neutered animals and $8 for animals that are not spayed or neutered. The proposal suggests a $8 and $15 annual fee respectively.
Owners of animals that are impounded would also be subject to a new fee structure. Instead of a $15 fee each time an impoundment occurs. The proposal sets a $15 fee for the first impoundment, a $25 for the second, a $50 for the third and $100 for fourth and subsequent impoundments. Additionally, a pet would be deemed a ?public nuisance? if impounded three times or more.
The memorandum that spelled out the new fines and fees stated that in fiscal year 2011, $3,700 in animal fines and $2,900 in animal license fees were assessed. In all, the memo said, the city spends $360,000 annually in response to domestic and wild animal incidents.
The memo said the hikes aren?t meant to fully recover the costs of the services.
Source: http://triblocal.com/naperville/2011/06/29/naperville-eyes-penalties-for-problem-pets/
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