Changes Coming to Dog Licensing Practices

An updated state animal control law that took effect last fall requires Braintree officials to sigificantly change the town's dog licensing rules, adding fees just ahead of the annual renewal period.

On Tuesday night, the Town Council referred a request from Town Clerk Joe Powers to update Braintree's ordinance to the Committee on Ordinance & Rules. The committee will be tasked with overhauling 90 percent of the existing local law, Powers said.

"The town needs to bring its ordinance into compliance with the statute," Powers said. "There's no two ways about it."

Powers said he only learned about the extent of the effect of the state law on the ordinance in February and received a notice from the clerk's association last week. The last-minute notice – Powers' request was not on Tuesday's agenda – prompted criticism from one councilor.

Leland Dingee, who at times has questioned the practice of passing items with "same night action," asked why the council should act so quickly in this case and why they did not know about the issue earlier.

Powers said that Town Solicitor Carolyn Murray determined that the action does not fall under the "emergency" requirement of same night action because it is not a final vote, and that it was an item "not reasonably anticipated" by the council president.

"I want and need the public to be aware of this," he said.

Licenses for the town's 2,200 registered dogs expire at the end of March. Typically, renewal begins in mid-April and owners have until July to register without facing a penalty.

Under state law, a town clerk can take the administrative step of shifting the licensing period, Powers said. Going forward he may seek to start renewals as soon as the licenses expire.

The most significant change that will effect dog owners will be the institution of a multi-layered licensing fee structure. Right now in Braintree, the annual license costs $10. Based on the new law, the town will have to set a higher fee for those with dogs that have not been spayed or neutered.

Braintree will likely keep the $10 fee for spayed and neutered dogs and institute a slightly higher fee for "intact" dogs, Powers said, though it will be up to the Town Council. The law also requires municipalities to charge for substitute tags during the course of the year.

Town census forms in the future will also include a section asking residents if they have registered their dog.

Last year, dog licensing fees brought about $20,000 in revenue to the town. Powers estimates that the vast majority of dogs in Braintree are registered, perhaps 2,200 out of 2,400.

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