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<br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Mayor and City Council, St. Anthony Village <br />Mark Casey, City Manager <br />FROM: Karoline Finlay, Graduate Student Hamline University <br />Anita Rasmussen, DPA Student Hamline University <br />SUBJECT: Dog Licensing Options <br />DATE: OCTOBER 22, 2015 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Requested Action <br />We have been asked to provide the City Council and administration with research about the <br />City’s dog licensing program. It is our understanding that there have been questions raised as to <br />whether or not the City should continue the practice of dog licensing. We hope this memo <br />provides some guidance on whether or not the licensing program provides a valuable service to <br />the constituents of St. Anthony Village or if the City should discontinue the licensing program. <br />This memo will outline general rules and vaccination requirements, a sample of what other <br />communities may be doing in terms of dog regulations, a step-by-step process in determining <br />what would be the goals of the Council relative to dog management and then finally, <br />appropriate action steps to implement these objectives. <br /> <br />General Background <br />1. There are no Minnesota/state-wide requirement(s) for vaccination and is instead left to local <br />jurisdictions to regulate. However, State rules allow some discretion as to how cities or counties <br />decide how they regulate the requirement for vaccinations. <br />2. At a minimum, the requirement for rabies vaccination must be in ordinance form. <br />3. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association - 36.5% of households have a dog. <br />An average number of dogs per household is 1.6. Statistically speaking, St. Anthony Village <br />should have approximately 1,500 licenses (based on 4,121 households). The City licensed a total <br />of 127 dogs during the most recent 2-year license requirement and cycle which is less than 10% <br />(statistically speaking). <br /> <br />Other City's Regulations: <br />• Columbia Heights - license every two years New Brighton - Dogs must wear a collar with <br />current tags and ID (no license) <br />• Fridley - Lifetime license, the dog owner is responsible for keeping their pet current on <br />vaccinations <br />• Wyoming - Recently dropped licensing requirement. State vaccination requirement in <br />code. <br />• Hugo - Dropped licensing requirement in 2011. States vaccination requirement and dog <br />ID tags in the code. <br /> <br />Goal(s) Determination: <br />Clarify Objectives (what is the purpose of the license, what do you hope to achieve?)