[accmemberdiscussion] Calera, AL proposing "pet tax"

From: Damon Folmar <jdfolmar@xxxxxxx>
To: accmemberdiscussion@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:51:05 -0500


http://www.myfoxal.com/Global/story.asp?S=13534145


Pet owners troubled by town's proposal
Posted: Nov 18, 2010 8:59 PM CST Updated: Nov 18, 2010 8:59 PM CST 

By Jonathan Hardison

CALERA, AL (WBRC) - Owning a pet isn't cheap, and it could get more expensive 
in one Shelby County city. Calera's leaders are proposing a pet tax. 

The idea behind the tax would be to help pay for the cost of rounding up stray 
animals and taking them to the humane society, but this whole idea is on hold 
tonight after the Shelby County Humane Society's director was let go yesterday 
and now the city's left with a big problem and a very unpopular idea.

Mayor Jon Graham told pet owners Thursday night his city has been getting 
invoices from the  humane society for the last several months showing how much 
it would charge the city for stray dogs that have been brought in, bills that 
would turn from fake to real at the beginning of next year and they've been 
running between $2,000 and $5,000 a month.

The humane society's former director suggested the city pass a law that would 
charge pet owners a yearly fee of $10 if their dog had a microchip and was 
spayed or neutered, and $42 if it wasn't, to help pay the city's stray dog 
bills. But Graham says that director was dismissed yesterday and now everything 
is on hold.

"I without a doubt believe we've been mislead and possibly misrepresented by 
the Humane Society, and at the same time, we want to be proactive, we want to 
play our part and make this a safe and friendly community."

Even though it's on hold, the idea of a so-called pet tax had pet owners up in 
arms.

"I'm very upset about it," said pet owner Dana Hardin. "I've got 3 dogs, and 
they never leave the house, they're in a fenced-in backyard and they never get 
out. I can't afford to pay that."

"They're trying to tell you what to do with your dog, that doesn't ring a bell, 
it's not gonna happen," said pet owner David Thomas.

"I can understand that, but I don't think it should be that high," Hardin said. 
"If they want, it seems like they're penalizing us, the ones that do take care 
of their animals, and not going after the ones that don't."

The mayor says the Shelby County Commission wants to meet with city leaders 
from across the county to try and come up with a unified way to attack the 
problem, and city council members tonight said stray dogs and cats are a 
serious problem that will have to be dealt with, and this idea of a pet tax 
isn't off the table completely, it's just delayed for now.

Copyright 2010 WBRC. All rights reserved.
[accmemberdiscussion] Calera, AL proposing "pet tax"

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