Dog License Fees Expected to Rise Jan. 1

What’s the difference between Princeton Borough and Princeton Township?

Well, for one thing, it’s a lot more expensive to register a dog in the Borough.

A Borough resident pays $22, while a Township resident pays $7 (not including state fees).

With the two towns merging come Jan. 1, that’s a difference that needs to be addressed

“Our concern is on Jan. 2, someone will want to register a dog,” Township Attorney Ed Schmierer told members of the new Princeton Council on Monday. “We don’t want to say, ‘Do you come from the Township, in which case it’s $7’ or ‘Do you come from the Borough, in which case it’s $22.”

Council members agreed that the existing municipalities should consider an across-the-board increase to $22 come Jan. 1 and then the new council would revisit the issue in the new year before residents renew their dog licenses in June. 

The only people who may be affected by the higher price before June, 2013 would be new residents who move to Princeton with an adult dog, Schmierer said following the meeting.

Borough Administrator Bob Bruschi said the Borough has tried to match its fees to the actual cost of processing dog licenses, including supplies and a partial offset for the animal control officer to conduct a state-mandated dog census.

“We’ve been very aggressive about our fees that might be why our fees are higher in the Borough, Bruschi said.

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