Debra Walz

DEBRA WALZ QUESTION 1 At November's Ordinary Meeting last year, I asked Council to consider changing the time-frame of dog registrations due to many community members receiving infringement notices for not renewing their annual dog registration on time. An amount of over $225,000 was collected by Council during the dog renewal/infringement period, despite Council's efforts to advise residents of their responsibility. Whilst Council confirmed lifelong dog registrations will not be considered, the Qld Animal Management (Cats & Dogs) Act 2008, Section 50 Duration of registration states (1) Registration of a dog is for the period of years fixed by resolution of the relevant local government for the dog and (2) However, the period must not exceed more than 3 years. On behalf of Noosa residents who own a dog or dogs will Councillors please consider a resolution to extend the dog renewal period from 1 year to 3 years whilst maintaining the same fee structure that currently exists. That is, Pensioners - free, Entire dogs - $193.50 and De- sexed dogs - $48.50. This would be seen as a positive change by Council particularly in assisting with the cost of living crisis as well as acknowledging the value that dog ownership provides to our residents. Answer provided by Richard MacGillivray Director Development and Regulation As mentioned previously registering your dog helps the council provide essential animal management services. These services include managing aggressive and barking dogs, responding to and investigating dog attacks, providing pound services, reuniting lost dogs with their owners, and maintaining off-leash areas, litter bins, and doggie bags where needed. Council is always mindful of minimising any additional costs to ratepayers which is why the current fees and associated revenue reflect the cost of service delivery for our community. Any changes for dog registration from a 1 to 3 year period will require further consideration from both an operational and budgeting perspective and this may take some time. QUESTION 2 Can Council confirm how the dog renewal infringement funds will be, or have been spent and whether Council has begun to look into possible reasons for the increase in overdue registrations, as identified last year, as a priority, by Council's Environmental Health Manager? Answer provided by Richard MacGillivray Director Development and Regulation Infringement revenue is used to fund the operational expenses for regulatory functions and services to our community. In terms of animal renewals last year, more than 10,000 dog owners paid their animal registration on time. Around 7% of owners did not pay on time despite multiple reminders being sent and media releases issued. These ratios are not considered high when compared with other Councils. Council continues to encourage payment for animal registration on time through improvement awareness and education as well as exploring opportunities for making it easier for customers to register and update their details with council.