Liberty Lake taking a look at animal rules

Sat., June 21, 2008

By Nina Culver nculver47@gmail.com

Dogs are everywhere in Liberty Lake and the City Council is considering changes in how animal control is managed and whether dogs should be allowed in city parks during major events.

Representatives have met with the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service and obtained an estimate on how much a contract would cost, police Chief Brian Asmus said during this week’s City Council meeting. Police officers currently respond to all animal calls and have the option of calling in SpokAnimal at $45 per hour to help with situations above the officers’ level of expertise.

Based on the number of animal calls, SCRAPS representatives estimate the city would be charged about $13,000, similar to what the city of Cheney pays. It’s a flat rate and no mileage will be charged. “It’s all inclusive,” Asmus said.

In 2007, police officers spent an estimated 144 hours dealing with animal control. The cost to the city was $11,654, while revenues brought in only $5,923. The estimated numbers for 2008 are even higher, with the city expected to pay $18,490 versus $5,500 in revenues. “We’re losing money on animal control,” Asmus said. “We’re losing lots of money.”

The other key issue is that officers have to spend time dealing with barking dogs or stray dogs when they could be doing something else. Often, animal calls get pushed to the back of the line if officers are busy. “I think we are doing a disservice to the community,” Asmus said. “Unfortunately, these things get put on the back burner.”

Council members seemed receptive to the plan, which will come back for a formal decision later. “The time of officers, I could see that’s a good decision,” said council member David Crump.

The city would have to adopt the animal control ordinance used by SCRAPS, Asmus said. The main difference would be an increase in the cost of pet licenses. Altered dogs would increase from $10 to $20 and altered cats would change from $5 to $15. Unaltered dogs would rise from $28 to $40 and unaltered cats from $18 to $25.

The council also discussed whether to ban dogs during large events in city parks, which got mixed reviews from council members. Council member Susan Schuler said she has been impressed with the responsibility of pet owners in Liberty Lake. “I’m not aware of there ever being an incident,” she said.

“Well, we could wait until there’s an incident, but that’s not very responsible,” said council member Patrick Jenkins.

No decision was made and the issue will likely return.

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