City Council approved a bill that, with Mayor Michael Nutter’s signature, would make annual dog licensing mandatory and increase the cost of doing so. The vote was 16-0 in favor. Bill sponsor Councilman Jack Kelly, who has said he’d like to see Philadelphia to ultimately have a “no-kill policy,” did not vote because he couldn’t attend Thursday’s meeting.
The bill also establishes “minimum standards for the care and control of dogs and cats,” and calls for adding “dog-licensing agents.” The cost of licenses for spayed or neutered pets would jump $8 to $16 and for unsterilized pets, $16 to $40.
In other Council action, Councilman Darrell Clarke introduced a bill to change classification of “cash-for-gold” businesses to “pawn shops.” Earlier this week, the Department of Licenses & Inspections posted stop-work orders for neon signs at a cash-for-gold shop near SugarHouse Casino, where both the casino itself and anti-casino activists say they prey on problem gamblers. Pawn shops are prohibited in the Commercial Entertainment District where SugarHouse is located.
