El Paso Raises Restaurant Inspection Fees and Widens Pet Adoption Prices
El Paso's council raised inspection fees for smaller restaurants about 49% and let adoption fees run as high as $198. It also tightened rules on new correctional facilities and halfway houses.
Running a small restaurant in El Paso just got more expensive. So did the top end of adopting a pet from the city shelter.
The El Paso City Council approved higher and new fees for food establishments and Animal Services at its meeting last week, effective Tuesday, according to El Paso Matters.
Restaurants
Food establishments now fall into two size groups instead of four: under 6,000 square feet and over 6,000 square feet, measured by food preparation area. Inspections for the smaller places went up about 49%, to $344. City staff said the state minimum is $258 and the cap is $773. Inspections for larger places stay at $515.
Pets
Adoption fees, which had topped out at $110, can now run as high as $198. El Paso Matters reports adoptions generally cost $30 for dogs and $5 for cats. City staff said the wider range gives Animal Services flexibility to set prices depending on the circumstances.
The city also added fees for spay and neuter surgery packages, offered through a partnership with the El Paso Veterinary Medical Association. City Rep. Chris Canales said the packages also include vaccinations, microchipping and other services, and existing fees for similar services did not change. New surgery fees run up to:
$160 for female dogs under 40 pounds, $175 for larger female dogs
$140 for male dogs under 40 pounds, $160 for larger male dogs
$130 for female cats and $120 for male cats
Fees may be reduced or waived depending on the circumstance.
The vote
The fees first passed 6-2, with city Reps. Josh Acevedo and Ivan Niño voting no. Later in the meeting, Rep. Alejandra Chávez asked to revisit her vote and switched to no, citing the potential impact on small businesses.
Her concern is worth hearing. A 49% jump in a yearly fee is not a rounding error for a family-run taqueria. City hall should be able to show the higher fee covers the actual cost of inspections and no more.
Halfway houses and correctional facilities
The council also unanimously updated its rules for correctional facilities and halfway houses. Apartments now count under the existing 1,000-foot distance rule from residential uses. A new half-mile buffer applies from residential districts, parks, schools, daycares and churches, though the council can grant exceptions. New facilities will need a special permit, and they are no longer allowed in the Central Business District or C5 commercial zoning.
The changes don't apply to existing halfway houses or to federal facilities in the city. The effort began in February as a way to limit new large federal immigration detention operations, El Paso Matters reported. City lawyers have said the council has limited authority over federal facilities.
In the same meeting, the council unanimously barred new or renewed license plate camera contracts without a council vote.
Related on Dock Line: El Paso Bars New Deals for Fixed License Plate Cameras Without Council Approval; Odessa Starts Asking Whether Its Flock Cameras Are Worth the Privacy Cost
