Tara McFaddan wants to know, and the rest of the town council unanimously agrees.
Town administration will conduct a timely review into the value of charging licence fees for dogs and cats.
Heavily referencing Okotoks’ decision to eliminate the fees, McFaddan questioned whether pet licences are becoming obsolete.
“I think until we get this report back, I’m not sure that pet licensing is a useful service at this time,” said McFaddan. “I think that we may have just evolved out of this being the most effective way to restore pets to their owners. I think we may have outgrown the model.”
With the rise of social media, she believes residents are increasingly using other means to find missing pets, without relying on the town’s assistance.
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Should Cochrane get rid of dog and cat licences?
Town CAO Mike Derricott told council the fees currently charged for pet licences essentially cover the cost of administering the program and are not intended to generate revenue.
Coun. Alex Reed offered another perspective, raising questions of whether the fees instead should be increased to maintain existing dog pack and build new ones.
A dog owner himself — not uncommon among councillors — Reed said he sees value in exploring whether increasing fees could help maintain and expand the number of dog parks in the community. He questioned whether it’s fair to expect non-pet-owning residents to subsidize these costs.
“While I don’t know if it would cover the full cost of maintaining and creating new dog parks, I do think it raises a fairness issue,” said Reed. “As a dog owner myself, I’d have no problem paying a higher fee if it meant the town would maintain the parks and build more.”
Coun. Marni Fedeyko initially expressed concern that the discussion could open a broader debate on the town’s dog bylaw and other related issues. However, she and others ultimately set those concerns aside, agreeing to focus narrowly on the issue at hand.
Derricott said the report would be a relatively straightforward one that staff could complete between other, more pressing matters. He expected to bring it back to council before the summer break.