Animal Control fee schedule starts March 1

For the first time, the Town of Mountain City has a fee schedule for its animal shelter. Mountain City Police Chief Joey Norris introduced the Animal Shelter fee schedule at the Feb. 3 Board of Aldermen and Mayor meeting, saying Animal Control Officer Esther Miller put a lot of work into putting a policy together. Norris and Project Coordinator Chris Hook said that there have been policies in the past, but no uniform fee schedule has been established. "Let's say [a resident lets their dog] out the front door, didn't watch him, we take him back up to the shelter," Miller said. "Usually, it was just the county [citizens] that has to pay a fee to get them back out. So, we're hoping it discourages people from letting their animals out." The aldermen unanimously approved the fee schedule, which goes into effect on March 1. According to the two-page fee schedule, a protective hold is $10 per day and covers basic housing and feeding. The basic impound fee is $25 per incident for city residents and $45 per incident for county residents. The boarding fee matches the impound fee and is charged per day. The vaccination policy for strays applied after the statutory stray-hold period, which is five days. It means the shelter may administer core vaccinations and necessary medical care to protect animal health and public safety. Additional medical costs behind core intake care may be billed at cost. The voluntary owner surrender fee is $15 per animal for city residents and $25 per animal for county residents. This supports intake vaccinations and basic processing. The Animal Control Officer is authorized to waive or reduce fees under special circumstances, such as documented financial hardship, first-time offense with immediate compliance, disasters, emergencies, mistaken impoundment or public safety or animal welfare outcomes with justification. All fees are due upon reclaim or surrender. Unpaid fees may be subject to collection. The shelter may accept multiple payment methods and payment plans. All fees must be paid at Mountain City Town Hall during regular business hours. The Animal Control Officer cannot process card payments and doesn't keep cash at the shelter.