Board of Commissioners Holding Public Hearing on New Animal Shelter Fees

Now that the new Forsyth County Animal Shelter is up and running, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners plans to hold a public hearing to discuss changes to the county’s animal ordinance.

The new ordinance would establish a schedule of fees for adoption and impounding of animals, and removes the old reclamation fee that was a part of the ordinance currently on the books. The new schedule of fees for the Forsyth County Animal Shelter would be as follows:

• Impound Fee: $25
• Shelter Processing Fee: $65 (the old reclamation fee has been rolled into this fee)
• Daily Boarding Fee: $15
• Adoption Fee: $85

The new ordinance also removes all references to the former contractor-based animal shelter system the county used prior to the new animal shelter’s opening in late August.

Under the terms of the new ordinance, anyone who agrees to adopt a shelter animal must sign a document promising to spay or neuter the animal within 30 days of adoption or within 30 days of the animal reaching sexual maturity (usually 5 to 7 months old). This requirement is waived if the animal was already owned by the person adopting it, and is merely being retrieved from the shelter.

According to the county’s website, the public hearing will occur on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. at the Forsyth County Administration Building at 110 East Main Street in Cumming.