Proposed Animal Control, Dog Registration and Food Licensing fees
Submissions closed
Submissions closed at 4.30pm Friday 3 May 2024.
Thank you for all of the feedback received.
Introduction
Taupō District Council requires payments for a range of services it provides. These fees are set in different ways depending on the associated legislation. The fees contained in this proposal are set by Council under the Dog Control Act 1996, Food Act 2014, and Local Government Act 2002 respectively.
About the fees
Animal Control, Dog Registration, and Food Licensing are important Council activities which help ensure our community is kept healthy and safe. This is done by ensuring dogs and other animals can be effectively managed and the places where you go to eat are hygienic and practice good food safety.
As an example, the need for animal control is primarily generated by those who own animals but the community benefits from Council’s animal control officers collecting those animals off the street or taking possession of aggressive animals that have attacked people. These activities are split based on the benefits to the community as a whole (rates) and to those who benefit or generate the need for it (fees and charges).
The fee increases in this proposal reflect the increases in operational costs for the associated activities. Fee increases across many Council activities have been minimal in the last few years so as costs have increased, revenue from fees and charges has not increased at the same rate. This means there has been a gradual departure from the revenue and rates splits outlined in Council’s revenue and financing policy.
What this means is the community has had to pay for more of the activity rather than the users or those who generate the need for the activity. The proposed fee increases for animal control/dog registration are an important way to address this but won’t be enough in the short term. Council will need to look at ways to address this through the Long-term plan.
This statement of proposal has been prepared in accordance with the requirements set out in section 83 of the Local Government Act 2002.
Proposed Animal Control fees
The proposed fees below represent an average increase of 15% (Note: Due to rounding the percentage changes vary).
These increases are required to address the increasing costs of animal control over the last few years and to help move revenue collected from animal control fees back towards the bands set in our revenue and financing policy.
Proposed Food Licensing fees
The proposed fees below represent the cost increases of running this Council activity, but they also represent the fact that Council has been undercharging for officers’ time in the food licensing space.
While there are benefits to community health the cost of this activity needs to be fairly split between the community and places handling food. This is why Council is also proposing the introduction of some new fees for previously unbilled officer time.
Copies of the statement of proposal and the proposed fees are available online or from our offices.
If you have any questions about this proposal or about how to make a submission, please contact us via email at feesandcharges@taupo.govt.nz
Hearings and next steps
Please tell us if you would like to attend the hearing to speak to Council in support of your submission and include a telephone number and email address to ensure we can contact you to arrange a time for your presentation.
Hearings will be held on 23 May 2024 9.30am in the Council Chambers.
After the hearings, Council will consider all the submissions received and make decisions on any amendments to the fees as a result. As a submitter you will be notified of Council's decision.
Council will consider the final fees and charges for adoption on 23 May 2024.
Remember, you have until 4.30pm Friday 3 May 2024 to send us your feedback.
Statement of Proposal
Fees and Charges Statement of Proposal March 2024 (PDF, 128KB)
