Politics & Government
Getting the Scoop on Poop is Pricey
City of San Juan Capistrano spends about $27,000 a year on the green, plastic bags dog owners use to clean up after their pets.
Attention dog owners of San Juan Capistrano: Your pets poop a lot!
As City Councilman Derek Reeve was combing through the city’s check register, he noticed a $2,300 payment for the plastic, poopy-pick-up bags offered in parks throughout San Juan Capistrano. That seemed high, so he inquired at Tuesday’s council meeting.
The $2,300 is just for the month, explained Finance Director Cindy Russell. The city spends about $27,000 a year on the tiny, green but pleasant-smelling – at least initially – trash bags.
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“That’s a lot of, well, I have a lot of four-letter words going through my mind,” Reeve said. “I assumed it was quarterly. Holy cow!”
The amount is much more than what Laguna Beach pays – $5,865 a year – but a lot less than Dana Point, which will spend $45,000 in MuttMitts this fiscal year.
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Dana Point and Laguna Beach both have dog parks. San Juan Capistrano doesn't ... yet. to open one in the .
Aliso Viejo dogs go through almost the same amount of waste bags as San Juan Capistrano, according to city and staffers. The city operates one park, at $1,821 a year for the bags, while the association runs 21 parks and spends $22,000 annually on the bags.
Reeve said if the city needs to find areas to cut when it starts working on the 2012-13 budget, the canine excrement depository bags are a good place to start.
