Logan City Council will forgo an estimated $100,000 per annum in a bid to solve the problem of unwanted cats and dogs.
A new Council fee structure for the release of impounded pets will financially reward owners who register, de-sex and microchip their animals, and penalise owners who don't.
Animals and City Standards Committee Chairman, Councillor Graham Able (Division 5), said the new regulations would encourage pet owners to take more responsibility for their cats and dogs.
"Logan City Council's impound records show that at least 75% of dogs and 89% of cats impounded were not desexed," he said.
"History has also shown that the vast majority of animals impounded were neither registered nor microchipped.
"It is well known that an animal that hasn't been desexed is more likely to wander, reproduce and cause nuisance to the community, and these are the problems our new regulations will remedy."
Council's new impound fee structure will offer a reduced release fee for an impounded cat or dog that is registered, desexed and microchipped. All owners of impounded cats and dogs will be required to microchip their animal(s) at Logan City Council's vet clinic prior to release.
Impounded cats and dogs that aren't desexed, microchipped and registered will incur a higher release, and new penalties will be introduced to penalise owners whose cats and dogs are repeatedly impounded.
A cat or dog that is desexed, microchipped and Council-registered will be returned to its owner free of charge on its first impound. Owners of impounded cats and dogs that aren't desexed will be offered the option to have their animals desexed at Council's Community Vet Clinic prior to their release. If the owner choses this option, the owner will pay the desexed release fee, which will cover the cost of desexing as well as release fees.
Owners who do not accept the offer to have their impounded cats or dogs desexed will incur significantly higher release fees.
The table below outlines the current and amended release fee structure:
Release of Impounded Animals Current Fee Amended Fee
Cat or Dog (previously desexed, microchipped & Council registered, 1st impound $137 $0
Cat or Dog (previously desexed, microchipped & Council registered, but impounded for the second and subsequent impounds in a 12 month period - per impound $137 $75
Cat or Dog (previously desexed, microchipped, but not Council registered) $137 $75 + registration
Cat or Dog (previously desexed, but requiring microchipping at Clinic prior to release) $137 $100 + registration
Cat or Dog (previously microchipped & offer accepted for desexing at the Clinic prior to release) $137 $125 + registration
Cat or Dog (offer accepted for microchipping & desexing at the Clinic prior to release) $137 $150 + registration
Release of Impounded non-desexed Animals from 2 January 2010 Current Fee Amended Fee
Cat or Dog (already microchipped, offer of desexing declined) $137 $310 + registration
Cat or Dog (microchipped at Clinic prior to release, offer of desexing declined) $137 $335 + registration
Cr Able said the estimated $100,000 shortfall as a result of the new fee structure demonstrated that Logan City Council considered the message of future animal management more important that revenue.
"Desexing and microchipping are proven strategies to manage unwanted cats and dogs," he said.
"The financial incentives this new structure will offer and the convenience of Council's onsite veterinary desexing clinic means that we can implement these innovative new strategies and set a high standard in animal management practices.
"The innovative fee structure and the nature of the policy send a powerful message to the community that Council encourages and rewards responsible pet ownership."