A notice of motion brought forward by Coun. Doug Patan would see the Municipality of Summerland terminate its animal control contract at the end of the year.

In addition, the notice of motion would amend the Responsible Dog Ownership Bylaw to remove obligations regarding responsible dog ownership. Dog license fees would also be eliminated.

Patan presented the notice of motion at the March 25 Summerland council meeting.

In his submission, Patan said the proposal came as a result of a recent meeting organized by the Summerland Civic Engagement Society.

鈥淭he message coming out of the meeting was there is an appetite for service reduction costs that correlate to property tax reductions,鈥� Patan said.

Summerland has a contractual agreement with the present dog control provider, along with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and the City of Penticton. Summerland鈥檚 costs for this service were around $90,000 in 2024.

Reducing the dog license fees would reduce municipal revenues by around $35,000.

The total savings would be around $55,000, or the equivalent of a 0.5 per cent tax increase, Patan said.

Summerland staff will report back to council by June 30 with options for the animal control service. These may include bringing the service in-house, reducing the service or eliminating it.

The motion will come to council at a future meeting.