STAFF REPORT - CITY COUNCIL/SUCCESSOR AGENCY/PUBLIC FINANCE AUTHORITY

Councilman Adkisson requested a future agenda item for staff to review an online dog licensing software and then make a recommendation on whether it would be beneficial to the City of Coalinga.  The Police Chief is not recommending the City of Coalinga contract with Next Pet Dog, an Online/Software subscription dog licensing system.

Council requested the Next Pet Dog licensing system be reviewed and determine if the system would benefit the City of Coalinga with dog licensing. I spoke with the owner of the software Diego Alves.  Per the owner Diego Alves, Next Pet Dog licensing system is a new software system, and he currently has two other cities in California using the system but couldn’t recall the names.

Owner Diego Alves explained the Online dog licensing system allows the residents to register their dogs online and pay the licensing/renew fees. However, the system would need an individual from the city, such as an Animal Control Officer to manage the program. There is a onetime sign-up fee of $2,500 and an annual contract fee of approximately $3,000. Once the software migration is setup into City website, residents can began registering their dogs and paying license/renew fees online. An additional two dollars is added to the fee, which goes directly to the Next Pet Dog vendor.

This system does not offer a door to door registration service.

The Next Pet Dog licensing system would provide residents of Coalinga an online system to register their dogs and pay license fees. However, the city currently doesn’t have an employee to manage the system. After my discussion with the owner Diego Alves, I had two concerns: 1. He did not recall the other two cities in California that are using the system, given that he is promoting a new system, and 2. We would still need to hire an Animal Control Officer to manage/monitor the system. At this point, I recommend, we hold off in investing in the Next Pet Dog Vendor and consider our own system. We can always go back and revisit this system.

The hiring of an Animal Control Officer and create the City’s own online payment system for dog licensing, similar to the City’s online utility system, would be an alternative for the City.  The alternative would also eliminate the onetime fee of $2,500 and the annual $3,000 fee plus the additional vendor fee of $2.00 to the residents of Coalinga and only include the salary of the Animal Control Officer.

There would be a fiscal impact of the Next Pet Dog Vendor of approximately $5,500 the first fiscal year and annual contract fee of $3,000. The residents of Coalinga would pay an additional $2 dollars per license fee. However, the Impact does not include the salary of an Animal Control Officer.