HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2014 0917 CCSA REG ITEM 10W ITEM 10.W.
CITY OF MOORPARK,CALIFORNIA
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AGENDA REPORT d " "'"�''
BY: • _
TO: Honorable City Council
FROM: Dave Klotzle, City Engineer/Public Works Director
Prepared by: John Brand, Senior Management Analyst 5,�7
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DATE: September 11, 2014 (CC Meeting of 09/17/2014)
SUBJECT: Consider Authorizing Ventura County Animal Services to
Utilize Administrative Citations to Enforce Title 6 of the
Moorpark Municipal Code (Animals) to Support the Animal
Services in the City
BACKGROUND
Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS), through a contract with the City of Moorpark
administers and enforces certain aspects the City's animal related Municipal Code
sections and provides sheltering services for domestic animals. In 2006 the City of
Moorpark established a program of administrative citations to encourage compliance
with the provisions of the code. In 2009 the County of Ventura amended its Code of
Ordinances to allow for the issuance of administrative citations for Animal Code
violations such as leash law and licensing. Staff is requesting the City Council's
authorization for VCAS to begin to utilize its administrative citations to assist in the
continued enforcement of the City's animal related Municipal Code sections.
DISCUSSION
In March, 2014 newly appointed VCAS Director Tara Diller authorized an upgrade to the
computer software that VCAS uses for animal shelter information management.
Included in the upgrade for the licensing and finance and software modules was the
capability for administrative citations to be generated automatically along with the fourth
notice of a delinquent license. VCAS has requested authorization to utilize its new
automated administrative citation process in the City of Moorpark to assist in its ongoing
enforcement efforts. The City and VCAS focus on voluntary compliance and
continuously communicate with dog owners to try to obtain compliance during license
delinquency periods or after the initial notification for the need to license or vaccinate a
dog. The City uses administrative citations to increase compliance with health and
safety violations in the areas of licensing, rabies vaccination, and leash law.
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Honorable City Council
September 17, 2014
Page 2
If approved, beginning in October, 2014 VCAS will institute an innovative approach to
pet license enforcement through the use of a new automated delinquent animal license
citation program. The automated citation program is designed to ensure that owners
keep their pet ownership information up-to-date, pay their pet license fees on time and
comply with the state and local laws pertaining to pet ownership and rabies certification.
Applying to pet owners who have not responded to three mailed license renewal
notices, the automated citation program will issue a fourth notice that includes a fine.
VCAS will match the City's bail schedule for the fines.
The civil penalty for failure to comply is $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second
offense, and $500 for subsequent violations. Each violation also includes a $25
administrative fee to offset the cost of processing the violation. VCAS will administer
citations from the beginning to end including appeals, administrative hearings, and
special hardship provisions. VCAS will utilize the administrative citations as another tool
in its current automated license notification process, as needed. Without the ability to
issue administrative citations, current license enforcement relies primarily on voluntary
compliance, which hinders VCAS' and the City's ability to address egregious or habitual
violators.
Gaining compliance from delinquent pet owners can be a cumbersome and very time
consuming process. In FY 2013-14 there were 86 City administrative citations issued
for animal code violations: 67 for failure to license; 9 for dog at large; 6 for leash law
violations; 2 for animal noise; and 2 for failure to comply with Nuisance hearing Findings
and Orders. In addition to greater efficiency and saving City staff time, it is estimated
that the additional enforcement tool could extend the City's license compliance to
additional households and could yield additional annual licensing revenues that may
reduce the General Fund subsidy of the animal compliance program.
Violations related to licensing, rabies vaccinations, and leash law increase the incidents
of strays, unclaimed animals at the shelters, and possible rabies exposure, which
impacts public health and safety and leads to increased costs to the City. The VCAS
automated citation process is consistent with the goal of increasing public health and
safety and decreasing the City's animal services administration and enforcement costs.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Authorize Ventura County Animal Services to utilize administrative citations to assist in
the continued enforcement of the City's animal related Municipal Code sections.
S.\Public Works\Everyone\Reports\Staff Reports\2014\September\09-17-2014 0JCAS Ad min Citations) .docx
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