Adopt Ordinance #21-08 to amend city code Chapter 10, Article III, Sec- 57, 58, and 65 pertaining to dog licensing.

The current City Code 10-57 requires that dogs be licensed and registered with the city of Ramsey.  The Ramsey Police Department has been issuing licenses and collecting fees for dog registration.  In previous City Council work sessions it was recommended that staff consider eliminating these requirements based on readily available micro chip technologies for animal identification, plus the addition of social media as a means to connect lost dogs to owners. Staff researched the current use of dog license registration data and determined it is rarely used to identify lost or recovered dogs. Consequently, staff recommends changes to the city code (see attachment).

The city need for collecting dog licensing information has changed along with technologies in animal identification.  The city and residents would benefit from the proposed changes to city code.

Staff recommends removing Sec 10-57 - Individual Dog Licensing, the rewording of Sec 10-58 - Tags, and addition of clarifying language in Sec 10-63 - Dangerous Dog Registration.

Motion to Adopt Ordinance #21-08 amending Chapter 10, Article III, eliminating Sec 10-57 - Individual Dog Licensing and rewording of Sec 10-58 - Tags and Sec 10-63 -Dangerous Dog Registration.