AH hopes new animal contract creates better licensing compliance

Right now, it’s estimated that about one in 10 pets in Airway Heights are licensed — something that is costing the city money when it comes to instituting animal control.

City officials are hoping a new four-year interlocal agreement with Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Services (SCRAPS) and some combined public education can turn that around, leading not only to more sustainable revenue but also protection for people and pets.

The City Council unanimously approved the new SCRAPS contract at their Feb. 2 meeting. The agreement, which runs through Dec. 31, 2030, is estimated to cost the city $47,500 in 2026 for animal protection services, a marked increase over the anticipated $21,000 paid in 2025.

Airway Heights Police Chief Brad Richmond said the increase stems from several factors, including increasing expenses for animal control and lack of sufficient revenues. According to the SCRAPS website, licensing fees for spayed/neutered cats and dogs is $18 and $28 respectively.

Intact animals, not spayed or neutered, runs $28 and $53. Seniors with pets are charged $13 for cats, $18 for dogs and must be age 65 or older to qualify for the reduced fee.

SCRAPS estimates that only about 12% of pet owners in the county license their animals. With only about 10% of pets in Airway Heights licenses, Richmond told council he believes getting more licensed animals could help offset the $25,500 contract cost increase.

“It would be nice to have the other 90% help us,” he added.

Corporal Adam Johnson told council that with the new agreement the Police Department would begin working on quarterly education campaigns in the city to facilitate licenses for pets. He said SCRAPS officials will assist with this effort as well.

According to the agreement, SCRAPS will provide enforcement of animal control ordinances and Revised Code of Washington (RCW) chapters in five areas of service. Those are enforcement of the county’s animal control ordinance requirements, inherently dangerous mammals/reptiles ordinance, dangerous dogs ordinance and applicable RCWs along with RCWs on prevention of cruelty to animals and abandoned animals.

Enforcement includes not only animal control service requirements for the city and county as well as maintaining an animal care and control facility but also “Animal Control Ordinance/ Licenses/ Fees/ Penalties Services, Citizen Complaint Process, and Activity Specific Reporting Services.”

SCRAPS is required to make its facility at 6815 E. Trent in Spokane Valley accessible to the general public five days a week for 7.5 hours each day. After hours services will also be made accessible for getting information or leaving messages in non-emergency situations and transfer to a customer service center capable of handling emergency calls or contacting the appropriate animal protection officer in the field to handle the call.

Animal protection officers are assigned specific areas of the county as their areas of responsibility. According to SCRAPS’ website, officers “Rescue sick, injured, abused, neglected, and abandoned animals, investigate reports of animal cruelty or neglect, return home (whenever possible) or impound stray animals…investigate animal bites, perform dangerous dog inspections, and assist with dangerous dog registrations…issue citations for infractions and misdemeanors and conduct kennel inspections and issue kennel licenses.”

The agreement between Airway Heights and SCRAPS also notes the potential for additional assessment of “extraordinary costs,” unplanned and unbudgeted expenses resulting from services needed to deal with unforeseen animal issues. The include but are not limited to “legal seizure or impound of animals necessitating extended onsite holding, offsite boarding, or non-routine veterinary care.”

SCRAPS does not handle calls dealing with wildlife. These incidents should be referred to agencies such as the state Fish and Wildlife Departmetn.

According to SCRAPS’ 2024 activity study, Airway Heights had the fifth highest total of animal service calls with 160. The city of Spokane led of the way, accounting for 6,807 of the 13,036 total calls, with Spokane Valley second at 2,854, the county third at 2,630 and Cheney far back in fourth at 227.

Of Airway Heights calls, 92 were impounds with 10 emergencies and 58 requests for service.

Police Chief Richmond said the city has had agreements with SCRAPS in the past. Aspects of the new director stemmed from changes at the agency, including a new director, new program of service and a new, cost-recovery model where the city will be billed monthly for services.

Richmond said the monthly cycle will help with the department’s review of the contract, what things are working well and where improvements need to be made. SCRAPS has said it will work alongside as a partner to facility better service while mitigate costs.

“Licensing being one of them,” he added. “If only 10% of pet owners are having their dogs, cats licensed, it would help if we could get somewhere in the middle and help offset our costs exponentially.”

Richmond said they will be working on ways of increasing compliance with pet licensing that will help citizens mitigate any increases in expenses as much as is possible. Part of this emphasis will come through community marketing campaigns and education outreach sessions for citizens.

If these don’t prove as successful as liked, Richmond said they might come back before council with a proposed ordinance strengthening the licensing efforts.

“If people aren’t getting their pets registered, then we have to have recourse if they’re just refusing to do it, then they’ll put some fines in place,” he said.

Part of the contract does leave open the approach to creating fines for lack of licensing compliance. Richmond said he needed to do additional research on these options so that any fines come back to the city to cover its increased costs.

“I’m trying to work on multiple different paths and approaches so that we can defer costs at every level and then try to get compliance with all the people in our community that have pets,” he added.