Frederick County's mulling over a bill that would allow dogs to dine with their humans on restaurant patios. But the county government has estimated a cost of $48,000 to keep the program going, reports WTOP.
That's a pretty big dinner bill.
That would result in increased costs to draft a local ordinance and incorporate special conditions into the operating license, according to the county.
It would also require additional staffing to educate interested restaurants and respond to citizen complaints, including complaints made outside of normal business hours, the county stated.
The county also believes the policy could have far-reaching consequences, such as more bite reports and rabies investigations. The county estimates $44,865 in extra salaries and wages for two part-time workers, and another $3,169 for other costs.
Meanwhile, others are questioning those numbers, including State Sen. Alex Mooney (R.), who says that most of the work can be absorbed by the Frederick County Health Department.
One potential compromise: allowing dogs to dine on patios just a few days per year. We're not sure if the dogs would be OK with that, though.
