Sunday, November 11, 2007

City Council hears complaints on dogs

Sunday, November 11, 2007 - Posted 12:27:53 PM

Minonk resident Larry Hill and other concerned citizens appeared before the Minonk City Council last Monday night to voice their concerns over dogs in the city.  Hill presented a litany of complaints that are summarized below:

• We are not blaming the dogs for these problems, but it is the irresponsible dog owners that we would like to see something done about.
• Witnessed neglect of dogs where owners have tied their dogs outside for 8 hours at a time with no evidence of food, water, or shelter.
• Witnessed a dog tied out for 8 hours or more on a choker chain where the dog’s neck was wore down to the skin and bleeding.
• Owners who tie their dog outside and leave and the dog will bark for hours.
• Owners allowing their dog to run loose.
• Owners who do not clean up after the dog when taking it for walks and leaving other people do deal with the mess left in their yard.
• Safety of children and people with these more aggressive dogs. Some people are afraid to go walking without a stick or club because you never know what might run out from someone’s yard or garage.

Hill said the City needs to be more aggressive to get the problem under control. He said that the City should make sure that the ordinances are enforced and when a ticket is written and a fine issued that the actual pet owner is going to pay the fine. He said that he has heard people say they do not need to pay their fine because the City will not take them to court because the attorney fees will cost the City more than the fine. Hill said that he would like to see the fines raised for dog ordinance violations because many were written 40 years ago and we need to get the fines more in line with today and put a little bite into them and make the dog owners stand up and take notice.

Wilbur Charlier of 619 Lincoln Street said that he and Larry Hill have caught loose dogs and brought them to City Hall to the confinement pen and in a few weeks the same dogs were right back. He said that he witnessed a person next to him running out in the street to keep a dog from attacking a person who was hardly capable of walking. Wilbur also reported that there are a large number of cats running loose in town and that he has a personal problem with a cat in his yard outside his back door which reeks from the smell of cat urine and feces.

Donna Hartzler of 527 West Fourth Street reported that it was so bad in her neighborhood that she cannot put her garbage out until about two hours before pickup because of loose dogs tearing her garbage bags apart and spreading it all over the berm and the street. Also she has witnessed dogs running loose and making messes in other people’s yards and said that she has carried a stick when walking because of being afraid of loose dogs. She said that dog ordinances should be enforced and people should not be able to take their dog home until the fine is paid. In closing, she said that we need to make dog owners more responsible and we need stiffer fines.

David Cashion, Woodford County Animal Control Officer, addressed the Council and reported on the following.

• The County ordinance against barking dogs is one continuous hour during daylight hours and at night it is for 20 minutes.
• There is no ordinance for defecation on public property.
• All county fines are only $25.
• Explained that the process for aggressive dogs is to write a report and submit it to the County Animal Control Administrator (Dr. Steffen in Goodfield) who then makes the decision based on what he thinks from the investigation.
• For vicious dogs he reported that he has no authority under state code and that enforcement has to come from law enforcement and that goes to the courts.
• State legislature in 2005 removed the $25 limit on animal violations and did not set a limit.
• Explained the 3 things he can do for complaints of animal cruelty. One, go out and tell the owner that they are a bad owner and that they need to take better care of their animal. Two, go through the State of Illinois Department of Agriculture for impoundment. And three, take it to the State’s Attorney and file criminal charges.
• Explained the differences between animal neglect and failure to perform owner’s duties. The latter consists of making sure the animal has food, water, shelter, and vet care to prevent suffering. Animal neglect is when you kick, beat, torture, or leave an animal that would come to harm, death, or become a public charge.
• There is no state ordinances on cats.

Alderman Cunningham said that looking at the ordinances, they are pretty good and the question is do we want to raise the fines and are they being enforced as they should be or are we letting people off with warnings.

Alderman Fortner suggested increasing the fines and double them to $100 and $200 right now.

Alderman Jenkins said that the City could double the fines or could leave the fines where they are at and stipulate that if the ticket is not paid in a certain amount of time the fine automatically doubles. That would cover the lawyer fees for the City.

Alderman Ruestman said that we need to compare our ordinances with what the county has before we make any decisions.

Mayor Koos said that we need to send this to committee before our attorney drafts all of this.

The City Council was in agreement to send the issues concerning dogs to the Public Safety Committee and have the first reading in December if the legal work is done.

Public Comments

Kimmel Jenkins addressed the Council and read a letter of resignation from the ambulance squad which is effective November 16, 2007 and thanked the citizens of Minonk for the opportunity to serve the community for the past 8 years. She also requested to be put on the agenda for an executive session at the next council meeting on November 19, 2007 for her exit interview.

City Council Comments

Alderman Ruestman thanked Kimmel Jenkins for the 8 years of service she gave to the City.

Alderman Cunningham thanked Kimmel for her service.

Alderman Fortner thanked Kimmel and thanked David Cashion for his eye openers about dogs.

Mayor's Comments

• Thanked Kimmel Jenkins for her service to the community the past 8 years.
• Said she would be on the agenda for executive session at the next meeting on November 19, 2007.
• Reported that the Locust Street drainage project study is done and at the next meeting Bob Kohlhase from the Farnsworth Group will give a presentation and encouraged everyone to attend.
• Reminded that the Parade of Lights will be held on Saturday December 1, 2007.
                        Viewer comments on this article

I see the problem wrote on 11/16/2007 at 08:13:17

I feel that the first time an animal is caught, a warning should be given to the owner which informs them of the next fine as well as a small fine. The fine should be enough for the city to purchase a tag for the offending animal with the owner's address engraved on the tag, as well as applicable postage/handling fees. I don't think $25-30 would be too unreasonable. I don't think an increase of the fine is unreasonable either.

dog problem wrote on 11/14/2007 at 22:13:12

I have also have experienced dogs roaming around free. An older man was taking a walk one afternoon and little did he know he was being followed by a loose dog. The man was terrified and froze. One of my friends ran outside and had to chase the dog off. There have been many other experiences where I have seen loose dogs roaming around. How do I know that when I leave my house at night there is not going to be a dog sneaking up on me?

Editor wrote on 11/14/2007 at 15:24:32

I have withheld comments from individuals complaining about the resignation of certain EMTs on the ambulance squad. I have stated previously that I am no longer accepting these comments because (1) they are divisive and derogatory and (2) there is more to the story that will be coming out later and (3) people with these complaints must take them to the city council. I don't want to have a one-sided forum here because the other side cannot comment at this time for legal reasons.

re: not true another resident wrote on 11/14/2007 at 12:44:15

Town council meetings have a time slot just for grievances. Everyone in this town has the right to speak up, and more people should. This town does NOT belong to our council. This town belongs to ALL of us, and it is the councils responsibility to maintain the town. Like enforcing the rules in place??? This dog issue is important. What happens when one of them injures a child? Just because your dog may be nice at home, doesn't mean it can't turn. It happens all the time. And at what point are we aloud to tell you that it's inappropriate for your animal to be roaming in our yards? Yes, a dog may get loose, but what people are upset with is the CONSTANT problem dogs. The ones that are loose more than once or twice. If you can't secure your pet properly, then maybe you need to rethink having one. It's all about responsibility, not the occasional accident.

resident wrote on 11/14/2007 at 05:54:47

dingos, turkeys and chickens, we seem to more trouble with them than dogs??

not true another resident!! wrote on 11/14/2007 at 04:01:26

sometimes dogs get loose for reasons unrelated to the owner! a owner can be vey respondsible and their dog could accidently get loose(ex: a clasp breaking etc..)....so the large fines would affect responsible dog owners! i can see large fines for repeat violaters, say after the third time, but not for the first! BUT, as someone has already said, the laws and fines are already there! and i see no reason to change them! the current law must be enforced, before you know if they need to be changed! i am also sick and tired of a few people going to city hall complaining and then watch the council jump though their hoops just to make them happy, so they quit coming to meetings and complaining! the counicl needs to do more homework before just rubber stamping anything anyone wants by complaining at a city council meeting! it happens way too often!

Pity the animal wrote on 11/13/2007 at 20:40:38

Though I agree that a pet allowed to roam free is a problem, I did not hear anything said about the cruel treatment the dogs are receiving. They depend on us for everything. Food, shelter, medical care, and most importantly, for our love. Would you leave a loved one tied on a chain to live out their lives in a 10 foot circle around a tree, or perhaps the area in front of a shed or garage? Can you imagine yourself living like this? Sort of like a prison cell, huh? And the dog didn't even break any laws! Would you allow your loved one to eat out of a garbage can? Would you leave them outside in the bitterest cold or on the hottest days of summer. At least if they were unchained, they could try to find the food and shelter you should be providing them. Care for them like they deserve. And we call them ANIMALS!!

smarty wrote on 11/13/2007 at 20:01:15

My favorite is the invisible fence, it provides the best reassurance that the dogs cannot get me or my garbage!

unbelievable ! wrote on 11/13/2007 at 19:05:09

Bums and Dingos -----HOW CHILDISH !!!!!!

another resident wrote on 11/13/2007 at 14:12:47

For those of you that don't believe this is a problem - You won't have to worry about how high the fines are raised if you are not part of the problem.

Dingo wrote on 11/13/2007 at 13:40:27

I think the real problem with the garbage are dingos getting into it. We as a community needs to reduce the amount of Dingos around town.

I am not have issues with dogs wrote on 11/13/2007 at 13:42:11

It's the bums that keep getting in my garbage and spreading it all in my yard. Then they say they have to eat some were, but why my yard

Not Just A Few wrote on 11/13/2007 at 08:31:21

Thank you to the few that have spoken up for those of us that haven't. I wish I could have gone to the meeting. There IS a dog problem, but just because it's not in every corner of town doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist. Fourth street is awful. It's not a daily problem, but there are issues that make me angry. I see these dogs approach children who are terrified of them. It doesn't matter if the dog is nice or not, it is wrong for a child to have a huge dog come up to or chase them. I've had my garbage cans tipped, and the bags shredded. And I had to chase the dog off that was doing it, so YES I know it was a dog. Just the other day my child had to scoop poop out of our yard, and we don't have a dog. We have responsible people, and we have the unfortunate issue with the few that create this problem. It's simple, either be responsible or don't have a pet. Time to grow up folks.

it only takes a few... wrote on 11/12/2007 at 15:41:42

I really only have issues with a couple dogs. There's one near Fieldcrest South that is tied past the sidewalk. This dog has darted out at my kids and I when walking by. We now choose to walk across the street from this house. With the trash...I've been in Minonk close to 10 years. I learned early on to use trash cans. With the garbage, you cannot be sure that it's dogs unless you are watching. It could be raccoons or some other animal. In Peoria, it was rats. Every town has problems with trash. Good luck solving that one. I think the dog issues here are minor compared to other towns.

resident wrote on 11/12/2007 at 07:28:03

I also have been a resident of Minonk on the Southeast side and have taken walks for many years. I walk at nite to the millium park and back, and I never have had a dog problem???

Minonk resident wrote on 11/12/2007 at 04:58:34

I lived in Minonk for over 40 years now, there was 4 years I was gone away to school other than these I was in Minonk. I go for walks every night for exercise. I don't know of this dog problem people are complaining about. I would have to agree with "think city council" they should change things for the minority especially if one is notorious complainer

to - think city council wrote on 11/12/2007 at 04:36:26

yes the laws are there, the rules are in place and the fines are more than approiate but what good are they if they are not inforced !!!!!!

think city council? wrote on 11/11/2007 at 16:54:13

another case of the vocal minority trying to influence the majority! the laws are there, the rules are in place and the fines are more than appropriate! i see a total of three to five people complaining, i only hope that the city council sees that as well!

thank you Mr. Hill !!!! wrote on 11/11/2007 at 14:06:12

I agree completely with Mr. Hill. Like Mrs. Hartzler, I also live on 4th Street and the dog problems around here are horrible. We have 1 dog owner who lets their dog out early in the morning to wander the neighborhood to "relieve" himself in others yards and they also have a cat that is allowed to also roam free. The cat enters storage sheds, garages, etc. Many times we go out to our car to find cat tracks all over it . We also have problems with barking dogs and dogs leaving deposits in our yard, not on the outer side of the sidewalk but right in our yard. I have witnessed some walking their dogs on leashes but allowing them to come way up into our property to releive themself and not even bother to pick up after them. And most of these are very large dogs that leave a very large mess !!!! Maybe Minonk needs to offer some type of classes to those owners on their responsiblity of taking care of their animals.

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