Animal Ordinance On Hold
By: Andy Schroeder
Updated: April 24, 2007
For beagle breeder Judith McKnight, Tuesdays Vanderburgh County Commissioners meeting was something of a victory.
McKnight was the only petitioner on hand to speak in opposition to a proposed animal control measure. Commissioners voted to table the ordinance, opting to seek more input before moving forward.
The 4 page ordinance passed with little discussion and no opposition during its first reading, but a flood of e-mails were sent to commissioners opposing the measure as being too vague.
The ordinance is designed to be straight forward, and targets nuisance animals and their owners. In particular, it targets animals that are roaming free, do damage to private or public property, and cause frequent, long, continued loud noises.
County commissioner Troy Tornatta said he wrote the ordinance because law enforcement need more power to resolve problems with animal owners.
After Mondays meeting, commissioners invited those opposed to the current language in the measure to work with them to rewrite it.
