Title
Ordinance To Amend and Reenact the City Code of the City of Hampton, Virginia by Amending Article IV, Chapter 5 Entitled “Dog and Cat Licenses”, Section 5-53 Entitled “Tax imposed”, to Clarify the Fees Imposed for Animal Licenses
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
On July 1, 2017, the General Assembly revised the state code relative to animal licenses. After putting together a team to investigate and report on the current licensing options, the General Assembly concluded that localities should be allowed to offer the option to their citizens to purchase a lifetime license for their pets. On October 11, 2017, City Council approved enactment of ordinance amendments that would offer the lifetime license option to the citizens. However, an amendment was made to the proposed ordinances at the meeting that included a reduced fee lifetime license for animals that were neutered. The language approved by Council did not include animals that were spayed. This amendment is offered to make technical changes to the language to carry out the intent of Council and clarify the different license options.
Discussion:
The proposed amendment clarifies that licenses for dogs and cats which are in-tact, or have not been spayed or neutered, are to be taxed at a higher rate than dogs and cats which have been spayed or neutered. The tax for in-tact dogs and cats is higher for both an annual license and a lifetime license. Additionally, the tax on kennel licenses is noted more clearly as an annual tax in order to avoid any potential confusion.
Impact:
N/A
Recommendation:
Rec
Approval of the Ordinance Amendments (no public hearing required).
Body
Ordinance To Amend and Reenact the City Code of the City of Hampton, Virginia by Amending Article IV, Chapter 5 Entitled “Dog and Cat Licenses”, Section 5-53 Entitled “Tax imposed”, to Clarify the Fees Imposed for Animal Licenses
BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Hampton, Virginia, that Section 5-53 of Article IV, Chapter 5 of the City Code of the City of Hampton, Virginia be amended to read as follows:
CHAPTER 5 - ANIMALS
. . .
ARTICLE IV. - DOG AND CAT LICENSES
. . .
Sec. 5-53. - Tax imposed.
(a) A license tax is hereby imposed on dogs and cats required to be licensed under this article in the following amounts:
(1) Annual license for intact dog or cat ..... $10 per year
(2) Annual license for unsexed dog or cat (neutered or spayed) ..... $4 per year
(3) Lifetime license for intact dog or cat …. $20
(4) Lifetime license for unsexed dog or cat (neutered or spayed) …. $10
(5) Kennel for 10 or less dogs or cats ..... $30 per year
(6) Kennel for 11 to 30 dogs or cats ..... $40 per year
(7) Kennel for 31 to 50 dogs or cats …. $50 per year
Kennel to be defined in accordance with section 5-2 of the Hampton City Code for the purposes of this section.
(b) No license tax shall be levied on any dog that is trained and serves as a guide dog for a blind person, that is trained and serves as a hearing dog for a deaf or hearing-impaired person or that is trained and serves as a service dog for a mobility-impaired person. As used in this subsection, the term "hearing dog" means a dog trained to alert its owner by touch to sounds of danger and sounds to which the owner should respond and "service dog" means a dog trained to accompany its owner for the purpose of carrying items, retrieving objects, pulling a wheelchair or other such activities of service or support.
State law reference: Amount of license tax, Code of Virginia § 3.2-6528.