February 11, 2021 · 0 Comments
By Peter Richardson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Mono Council passed a motion during its Tuesday (Feb. 9) meeting, entering the Town into an agreement with Olympus K9 instead of the formerly used Orangeville SPCA.
Council discussed the Canine Control Services Agreement and Amended Dog By-law during the meeting and shared that the contract with Orangeville SPCA to provide canine control, a pound keeper and license fee collection, was up for renewal December 31 of last year.
When contacted about the renewal, the previous August, OSPCA came back with a revised agreement, showing a significant increase in costs, from $17,344 to $45,194. In addition, OSPCA kept all the licensing fees.
Faced with this increase, Council instructed staff to investigate whether or not another more competitively priced provider could be found, who would offer a similar service. In January of 2021, staff reported back that several other Dufferin County municipalities were using the services of Olympus K9 and were very pleased with their services.
Under an agreement with Olympus K9, the base fee is $1,000 monthly, which covers fixed costs, overhead and administration. Over and above the base fee, Olympus K9 charges fees for service.
Calls for Service are billed at $35 per hour, plus mileage and $87.50 per hour on statutory holidays. Impound would be $30 per day per dog. Vet fees would be charged as billed and kennel inspections would be $35 per hour plus mileage and billed to the kennel owner/operator. Mileage is billed at $0.50 per kilometre
Under this new agreement, the Town would be responsible for issuing annual dog tags and would retain the fees. Staff are preparing a system for doing this and with have it in place for March 1, 2021.
Residents will have until June 1 to renew or obtain their new tags. The Town will be issuing new tags made of stainless steel, which should last at least ten years, over the current aluminum tags.
Although the new tags cost slightly more, $.49 vs $.30, they will not be reissued yearly. Instead, the tag remains with the dog and the resident only pays the annual renewal fees. This system is similar to how water bills are paid now. Renewals may be paid in person, online, or by telephone banking. Olympus K9 will be responsible to ensure that all untagged dogs that come into their possession, will not be released to their owners until a tag is purchased. A dog tag for a spayed or neutered animal is $20 and otherwise is $30.
Deputy Mayor John Creelman made note, that the sale of tags should include the use of resellers, such as vets and pet stores, as he feels that many residents are not comfortable with internet transactions.
In the end, Council passed a motion that the Town enter into the agreement with Olympus K9 and make the necessary amendments to its Dog By-law.