NORWICH – Come the first of the year, the licensing of dogs in New York State will no longer be the responsibility of the Department of Agriculture and Markets; the task will now reside with local municipal clerks.
After performing the job for more than two decades, the Department of Agriculture and Markets announced in August that local towns, villages and cities would have to pick up the tab and the duties associated with all aspects of dog licensing.
North Norwich Town Clerk Loretta L. Smith, who’s also president of the recently-formed Chenango County Municipal Clerk’s Association, said the reinvention of the group was primarily set in motion by the shifting of dog licensing responsibilities.
“This whole issue of dog licenses is what brought us all together to reform and reorganize. The issue was kind of dropped in our laps in mid-August,” said Smith.
New York State currently recommends an annual licensing fee of $2.50 for a neutered/spayed dog and $10.50 for an unspayed/unneutered dog. Of that amount, the state keeps $1 and $3 per dog, respectively, and distributes the remainder to the counties, which in turn, distribute it among local municipalities. Smith said Ag & Markets would continue to collect the associated fees to promote population control programs in the state.
Smith said the changes in responsibility would be unnoticed by dog owners in some areas and obvious to others, depending on what town they reside in. Chenango County’s 21 towns currently charge a variety of rates for dog licenses.
Owners in the Town of Greene, for example, will see no change in the cost of licensing their animals with the standing fee of $8 for a spayed or neutered dog and a $16 fee for non-spayed or neutered animals.
The towns of Norwich, Pharsalia and Preston set their fees at the state required minimum of $2.50 for a spayed or neutered dog and $10.50 for a non-spayed or neutered dog, collecting no administration fee in the past.
Norwich Town Clerk Martha Vidler said the municipality is raising its rates to pay for the costs associated with issuing town created licenses, saying the cost would rise to $7 and $14, respectively. Owners in the Town of North Norwich will see small rise in fees, from $5 and $13 to $8 and $15.
Another difference between each municipality is how many dogs they are responsible for registering.
Town of Greene Clerk Deborah L. Thomas said the town currently has about 3,000 registered dogs in its computer system. Vidler said the Town of Norwich has about 600. The Norwich Police Department reports the City of Norwich has about 900 registered dogs.
Smith also said other municipalities had reported having less than 100 documented dogs.
Smith said many of the rates being set are aimed at covering just the costs associated with the process and are not meant to generate a surplus in revenue for the municipalities.
She said the clerk’s association planned to suggest a county wide standard rate of $8 for fixed animals and $15 for non-fixed, but they were unable to get consensus to pass a county-wide measure.
Municipalities will now have to pay for all the paper work and labor involved in the process, which includes sending out monthly renewal letters, creating new licensing forms, collar tags and a system to track them.
Smith said some towns lacked the proper computing software needed to complete the forms, including her office in North Norwich. She said estimates to buy and install the programs cost around $900.
A central database kept by the Department of Agriculture and Markets, containing all licensed dogs in the state is expiring and each local municipality is expected track their own populations. In the past each licensed animal had its own number and dog control officers could search the state database for them. Under the new system, they’ll have to contact the specific municipality for information, such as an owner’s address.
Smith said each new tag, regardless of what town produces it, is required to contain the name of the issuing municipality, an office contact number and licensing number.
One change the county has adopted was in a resolution passed by the board of supervisors on Oct. 14. The resolution abolished the old practice of licensing all dogs adopted at the SPCA to the Town of Norwich. Now owners will be charged the fee for the municipality the dog is expected to be harbored in.
Though the municipalities officially take over responsibilities Jan. 1, most dog owners won’t notice any change until their pet’s licensing renewal is due. New York State requires all dogs over 4 months of age to be licensed annually.
“It’s a learning process for all of us. We hope the transition will be smooth. No one’s sure how things are going to unfold,” said Smith. “One big issue for us is making sure people aren’t discouraged from licensing their dogs as a result of the transition.”
Smith said the system was reverting back to what it had been before 1981, before the state took over licensing. “I’m optimistic it will all work out. It’s been a while but the towns have done this before,” she said.