WINSLOW — The Town Council approved an ordinance, 7-0, on “dangerous dogs” after a dog attack in August killed a dog and wounded its owner.

A public hearing on the proposed changes was held before the council meeting began, during which no one commented on whether they approved or disapproved of the ordinance.

Police Chief Shawn O’Leary worked with Town Manager Michael Heavener and Animal Code Officer Chris Martinez to examine other towns’ dangerous-dog ordinances and come up with the proposed addition to the Town Code.

A dangerous dog is defined by state law as a dog that bites a person or an animal that isn’t trespassing or acting aggressively, as well as a dog that causes people or animals to fear “imminent bodily injury.” A dog is declared dangerous by a court of law.

The new ordinance greatly increases fines, requires owners of dangerous dogs to have liability insurance and requires owners to post warning signs on their property, among other things.

The councilors later discussed the Fourth of July committee, which was unable to make the Oct. 26 deadline for its payment, which last stood at $14,283.66. The committee usually is required to pay the town by the next year, but because the 2015 payments were so late, Heavener said the 2015 and 2016 payments were combined and the committee was given a fall deadline.

Heavener said the town is creating a payment plan for the committee. However, some of the councilors expressed a need to meet with the committee, especially before the budget is put together, and that has failed to occur because a lack of communication,.

Councilor Patricia West said councilors “can only assume that it won’t happen,” referring to the payments, as the committee has failed to make full payments on previous deadlines, though it has made smaller payments.

“I think that it is unfortunate that they can’t raise those funds, but I don’t think it should fall on the taxpayer,” West said.

The council also voted, 7-0, to allow Heavener to sign an agreement with the Vassalboro Sanitary District, which is connecting its sewer system to Winslow’s, and then send its waste to the Kennebec Sanitary Treatment District. Vassalboro just received $3.8 million in assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the project’s total cost of about $5 million.

Councilors also voted to amend the town’s zoning ordinance to allow “new mobile homes” and “mobile homes” in the conservation and low-density residential districts, 6-0, with West abstaining because of her future ownership of Pine View Homes, a manufactured housing company. When part of the rural district was converted into the conservation district, the town neglected to add an allowance for mobile homes, severely limiting the space in which people could place their mobile homes.

In other business, the town’s auditor, Hank Farrah, spoke to the councilors about the town’s financial position. One trend he noted was that more costs are being pushed onto the local budget as opposed to the state’s, which is hurting the town’s general fund. The town can use money from its general fund to help offset tax increases, but the main purpose of the fund is to act as a reserve fund for an emergency. Most towns tend to keep two months’ worth of money needed to run the town in an unassigned general fund.

Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239

mstamour@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @madelinestamour

 

Copy the Story Link