The purpose of this case is to consider the Council's request of staff to review current city ordinances and determine if cat/dog registration and licensing is necessary for the city.  License registration statistics, pet clinic statistics, revenue numbers, animal impound statistics, and overview of available technology (ID chips, Social Media, etc).are provide as part of this report.

Note, these current City Ordinances regulate this requirement and would need revision / elimination:

Sec. 10-57. - Individual dog licensing.
All dogs kept, harbored, or maintained in the city shall be licensed and registered. Applications for license shall be made to the city administrator, or his designee, upon forms provided by the city administrator. Said application shall require the owner, among other information required by the city administrator, to supply the name, age, predominant breed, sex, color and markings of each dog sought to be licensed. In addition, when the applicant or owner has been convicted of violation of section 10-65 relative to the dog sought to be licensed, the application shall require proof of public liability insurance in the minimum amount of $300,000.00. Upon submission of the application and a certificate evidencing compliance with the terms and provisions of section 10-59, relating to vaccination for rabies, and upon payment of a fee as established by ordinance, the city administrator or his designee shall issue a license. Said license will be concurrent with a valid rabies vaccination for up to three years.
(Ord. No. 15-12, § 2, 7-14-2015)

Sec. 10-58. - Tags.
The license shall be in the form of an identification tag and shall be affixed by the owner to a collar to be worn by the dog. In case a tag is lost or destroyed, a duplicate will be issued by the city administrator upon presentation of a receipt showing payment of the license fee for the current period and a payment as established by ordinance. Dog tags shall not be transferable from one dog to another and no refunds shall be made on any dog license fee because of death of the dog or the owners leaving the city prior to expiration of the license period.
(Ord. No. 15-12, § 2, 7-14-2015)

The city of Ramsey has registered a total of 1641 animals (dogs and cats) since the registration ordinance was adopted. There are 604 current valid license registrations. Staff maintains a database of the registrations that include information such as owner name, owner address, rabies vaccination date, vaccination expiration date, animals name, breed, color, & sex. The fee for registration is $10 if the animal is spayed/neutered, and $20 if not. Registration is valid as long as the rabies vaccination is not expired. This can range from 1 to 3 years based on the age of the animal. The City of Ramsey has collected the following amounts for animal license registrations:2017: $1,480 2018: $2,590 2019 to date: $110Police Department staff handle animal complaints and two annual pet clinics. The primary goal of pet clinics has been to ensure up to date vaccinations and registration of animals with the city. Pet clinics require 4 city staff, veterinary services contract, food, venue, signage, etc. In addition to local veterinary providers, large pet stores offer similar vaccination clinics on a monthly basis at their locations. In recent years, social media has been helpful in reuniting pets with their owners and adopting animals out instead of euthanizing. Many animal rescue organizations follow social media outlets and will either accept the animal or find a suitable home. Dog and cat microchipping is newer technology and a relatively simple procedure. A veterinarian injects a microchip for pets, about the size of a grain of rice (12mm), beneath the surface of your pet's skin between the shoulder blades. A microchip is a permanent pet ID. The microchip itself has no internal energy source, so it will last the life of your pet. It is read by passing a microchip scanner over the pet’s shoulder blades. The scanner emits a low radio frequency that provides the power necessary to transmit the microchips unique cat or dog ID code and positively identify the pet. The average cost for microchipping is around $45. The Ramsey Police Department has microchip readers available to staff.

Attached are some additional statistics in regard to animal control in the City.  In addition, a recent article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune outlines actions of several metro cities in regard to the animal licensing in response to cultural and technological changes.