By Brenna Angel
FRANKFORT, Ky. – A popular Kentucky license plate that benefits spay/neuter programs across the state could be getting a new design. Dr. Linda Grimes, chair of the Animal Control Advisory Board, says other specialty plates are getting a new look, so the board is using the opportunity to hold a public contest.
"The license plate program benefits spay/neuter across the state of Kentucky. We've had two different grant programs that we have allowed vouchers out of the Department of Agriculture, and we also have grants that we offer statewide to counties and to non-profit organizations."
The current spay/neuter license plate was created in 2003 and features a kitten and a beagle, which is the state dog. Motorists pay an initial fee of $31 for the plate and $26 to renew it. Grimes, a veterinarian in Irvine says pet overpopulation is a statewide problem.
"Too many animals end up in shelters or starving along the roadsides and we don't have enough homes for them. Basically animals live longer, healthier lives if they're spayed or neutered for a variety of reasons, but the main effort is to reduce the population."
Designs may be no more than 11 inches wide and 5 inches tall. They must be submitted in high-resolution digital form as a PDF or JPEG file to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture no later than Jan. 15, 2011. To submit an entry, attach the design to an e-mail and send it to ted.sloan@ky.gov.
The board will select four entries and post them, along with the current design, on the board's Web site, kyspayneuter.com, to allow Kentuckians to vote for the winning design. Details on the election will be announced in early 2011.