STATE
Valencia County pet owners no longer to pay license fees
Owners will have to provide proof that the animal has been spayed or neutered
Some Valencia County pet owners will see an elimination of annual licensing fees after a unanimous commission vote.
At a July Valencia County Commission meeting, Commissioner Joseph Bizzell sponsored an agenda item to review the county鈥檚 animal license fees.
Bizzell felt the annual $10 fee for a sterilized companion animal might be out of reach for people on a limited income, such as veterans and seniors.
The county鈥檚 ordinance already waived the license fee for seniors so long as their pet was sterilized, microchipped and current on their rabies vaccination.
On a 4-0 vote, the commissioners revised the fee schedule, eliminating the annual licensing fee for owners so long as their dog or cat is sterilized. Owners will have to provide proof to the Animal Control Division that the animal has been spayed or neutered and has a current rabies vaccination to qualify for the fee exemption.
鈥淚 do want to curb animals running wild, people not taking care of animals and breeding. Those are the animals going into the shelter,鈥 Bizzell said. 鈥淲e need to try to help people trying to do the right thing and not charge them. We want to encourage people to spay and neuter, to get the rabies vaccination.鈥
Even though the fees were waived, residents will still be asked to license their animals with the county to prove rabies vaccinations.
鈥淲e are trying to help the public and animals in our community,鈥 Valencia County Animal Control Director Jess Weston said.
Bizzell said he has been talking to the county鈥檚 IT department about trying to do licensing online.
鈥淧eople can upload their rabies documents so they don鈥檛 have to come in,鈥 he said. 鈥淢ake it as simple as possible.鈥
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