The measure now goes to the full council for consideration.
The department grants free dog licenses to families earning less than $33,150 a year. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development considers that amount the "very low income" threshold for a family of two. Larger families typically have to meet a higher standard to qualify as being "very low income," but those are disregarded by the city, according to Animal Services Assistant General Manager Kathy Davis.
"The current ordinance states that we use the two-person 'very low family' income guideline of $33,150 -- regardless of the number of people in the family," she said.
"If you have four or six or seven people in your family, we still cling to that $33,150 as the guideline for verifying somebody is low income. That, obviously, is not a very good way of doing things."
Davis noted other city agencies have updated their own regulations to ensure that free services are not offered to families who can afford to pay for them.
City News Service contributed to this story.
