MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Commissioners fielded numerous calls Thursday from angry residents wanting to know why dog tag license fees have steeply increased.
“We’re raising the rate to $16 because we have to cover the expenses,” said Commissioner Tom McLarnan. The Ohio Revised Code does not permit the commissioners to increase dog license fees until the Dog and Kennel Fund has been depleted. Since 1995, subsequent years’ budgets have balanced out, or else there has been a surplus of cash carried over from the previous year to cover the following year’s costs. This year, due to rising costs, that surplus, which had lasted a few years, was finally depleted.
The new license fees are based on the estimated costs of running the animal shelter in the current economic climate, as those fees are the facility’s prime source of income. Other, relatively minor, sources of funding include impound fees and adoption fees. No county general fund money goes into the operation of the country animal shelter, and no money from this fee increase will go into the general fund, the commissioners said.
In other business, Sheriff David Barber informed the commissioners of the completion of union negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police for a new three-year contract which will start Jan. 1, 2009. The sheriff’s office agreed to 3 percent pay raises for each year of the contract, with an increased shift differential of 45 cents per hour for evening and night shifts. The police union agreed to accept existing management structures and traded the day after Thanksgiving for Columbus Day as a paid holiday. Barber said that the new contract was unanimously approved by union members and that County Prosecutor John Thatcher had approved the written contract. The commissioners signed, completing the contract.
The board also discussed the issue of what the city pays for housing of prisoners charged under city ordinances at the county jail, which was an item of much discussion at the Nov. 24 meeting of the commissioners and Mount Vernon City Council. Barber said that he had prepared detailed estimates and delivered copies of those documents to Mayor Richard Mavis and Councilman Chuck Dice. Barber said that the estimates indicated that the actual cost of housing prisoners charged on city ordinances last year was about $400,000, while the city actually only paid $274,000. Barber said that he would provide copies of said estimates to the commissioners as well.
The commissioners said that the originally proposed increase to the city of 4.5 percent for housing had been accepted and put in place. They asked for Barber to also send copies of the estimates to other council members who had questioned the rate.
Finally, the commissioners noted that thanks to the county’s wellness program, the county insurance rate would be holding steady, while almost every surrounding county is seeing steep increases in their rates. The county will also be adding eye coverage in 2009, as regular eye examinations often detect other health issues early, thus keeping costs down.
How do you feel about the increase in dog license fees?
