Section 955.17. Costs - fees

(A) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (B), (C), and (D) of this section, costs shall be assessed against the owner, keeper, or harborer of any dog seized and impounded under sections 955.12, 955.15, and 955.16 of the Revised Code as follows:

(1) Filing affidavit and issuing order to seize dog .............. $1.00;

(2) Seizing dog and delivering to pound ........................... 4.00;

(3) Serving or posting of notice to owner ......................... 2.00;

(4) Housing and feeding dog per day ............................... 1.50;

(5) Selling or destroying dog ............................................ 2.00.

(B) A board of county commissioners may adopt a resolution authorizing the county to perform or contract for the performance of a cost-analysis study to determine the costs to the county of providing the services required under sections 955.12, 955.15, and 955.16 of the Revised Code. The resolution shall define the scope of the study and shall itemize each cost to be analyzed. These costs shall include the direct costs to the county of performing the services required under sections 955.12, 955.15, and 955.16 of the Revised Code and, if the board so desires, may include any reasonable indirect costs determined by the board to be incurred by other county offices in helping the dog warden perform his duties under those sections.

(C) Upon completion of the study, the board shall hold a public hearing at a regular or special session of the board, after giving reasonable notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the county of the hearing's date, time, and place. At the hearing, the board shall consider any proposed fees that are suggested by the conclusions of the study.

(D) After conducting the hearing required by division (C) of this section, the board may, by resolution, establish fees to replace those specified in division (A) of this section for the services listed in that division. The fees so established may exceed those specified in that division by amounts sufficient to cover the direct cost of providing the service, the cost of conducting the cost-analysis study, and, if that study included an analysis of indirect costs, the indirect costs to other county agencies in assisting the dog warden. The board need not adopt the fees suggested by the conclusions of the study, if any. It may adopt fees that are lower than or equal to, but not higher than, any suggested by the study. Fees shall not be increased more often than once every year. Fee increases shall become effective only at the beginning of a calendar year.

(E) The board may establish by resolution, without conducting a cost-analysis study, reasonable fees to cover costs of providing miscellaneous services performed by the dog warden that are not otherwise expressly provided for in this chapter. As used in this division, "miscellaneous services" include, but are not limited to, disposing of dog carcasses, releasing dogs that are accidentally caught or found to be in a state of distress, and preventing dogs from engaging in fights or other objectionable behavior.

(F) The costs and fees authorized by this section shall be a valid claim in favor of the county against the owner, keeper, or harborer of a dog seized and impounded under sections 955.12, 955.15, and 955.16 of the Revised Code and not redeemed or sold, or against the owner, keeper, or harborer of a dog regarding which miscellaneous services described in division (E) of this section have been provided. The costs and fees shall be recovered by the county treasurer in a civil action against the owner, keeper, or harborer.

Effective Date: 06-29-1994