Ashburton District Council rejected a bid to freeze dog registration fees, keeping 7 percent annual increases in place as the savings for dog owners would have transferred to all ratepayers to fund the consultation process it triggered.
Photo: SUPPLIED / LDR
An attempt to save Ashburton dog owners a 7 percent hike in registration fees has failed because the effort would have been cancelled out by consultation costs.
As part of the long-term plan 2024-34, the Ashburton District Council agreed to increase its dog control fees by 7 percent annually for five years from 2024/25.
It aimed to ensure enough revenue was being collected from the fees to keep the general rate input below 15 percent.
At a council meeting on Wednesday, first-term councillor Julie Moffett proposed deferring the 7 percent increase in registration fees, but retaining the 7 percent increase for dog control fees “for non-compliance”.
Moffet said the deferral was an attempt to ease the risk of increasing non-compliance from the rising costs.
She said that with the cost of living going up, the registration fee increase was “yet another thing to squeeze people financially“.
Her proposed amendment was initially seconded by Cr Russel Ellis.
Chief executive Hamish Riach quickly interjected to advise the councillors that the implications of the amendment would force a consultation on the revenue and finance policy.
Riach explained that with the operating budget going up, without the fee going up, the revenue would be below the required level (75 percent) in the policy.
Ellis calculated the “dollar value” of deferring the 7 percent increase was around $5 per dog, or $34,000 in total for the around 6700 registered dogs in the district, but would be cancelled out by the cost of a consultation process of around $20,000.
He then withdrew his support.
“Times are tough out there, but if we are just going to rob Peter to pay Paul, it does seem a bit pointless.”
Mayor Liz McMillan said that while the amendment had good intentions, without a seconder, it lapsed.
Councillor Phill Everest had offered a tongue-in-cheek solution around cost recovery for impounding, suggesting “those that don’t behave, should pay more”.
Deputy Mayor Richard Wilson supported the user-pays reasoning behind the 7 percent increase.
“If we don’t charge enough to cover our costs, the money doesn’t disappear; it’s just charged to the general rate.
“The general rate is paid by everyone regardless if you have a dog or not.”
Cr Carolyn Cameron also agreed with the increase to cover the overheads of dog control and management rather than it going on the general rate.
The increased fees will come into effect from 1 July.
Examples of the 7 percent registrations increase:
Urban de-sexed dog: $112 to $120
Urban un-neutered: $112 to $120
Urban Menacing: $112 to $120
Urban Dangerous: $169 to $181
Rural ( first and second): $75 to $80
Rural (after first two): $35 to $38
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.