The total collection of dog control fees will increase by 2.3 per cent for the 2022/23 registration year from the previous registration year.

Today, Hastings District Council considered the proposed fee structure for the coming year and agreed to a small increase.

This will see fees for urban dog owners who pay before August 1, 2022 rise from $115 to $118 per dog, selected owner fees (those who are on a discounted rate due to them being proven responsible dog owners) increase from $78 to $80 and rural fees increase from $56 to $57.

The rural community board discussed the fee increases earlier this year and requested that any increase to rates be kept in line with the Cost Price Index, said the board’s council representative and deputy mayor Tania Kerr.

“We know that a lot of rural dog owners may own multiple working dogs and we wanted to ensure that any cost increases were minimised to reduce the burden on all dog owners who pay their fees.”

To avoid late payment penalties people need to pay their fees before August 1.

These late payment fees will also increase from $172 to $176 for urban dog owners, $117 to $120 for selected owners and $84 to $85 for rural dog owners.

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