Orange County NC Website
- a requirement for minimum kennel size for outdoor housing of dogs; <br />- an exemption for organized and lawful animal functions such as hunting, obedience <br />training, and law enforcement training of a duration of not more than seven days; <br />- an 18-month education period, including twelve months of public outreach and six <br />months of issuing warnings before citations would be issued. <br />Chair Carey agreed that this issue was thoroughly discussed at the ASAB, because he <br />attended some of these meetings. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked if this recommendation was only talking about tethering <br />dogs, since farm animals also get tethered. Kris Bergstrand said that the focus is on dogs. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he did not serve on any of the animal boards but he <br />does care about animals. He asked that this summary be put in some rural stores, etc. He <br />wants to be clear that it is only talking about dogs. <br />Chair Carey said that this is a recommendation, but it is incumbent upon the Board to <br />have discussions about this and to hold public hearings before the changes are adopted. This <br />is the County's current policy. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that the title should read, "Proposed Orange County Dog <br />Tethering Ordinance." <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked Animal Services Director Bob Marotto about any <br />additional demand on animal control with this proposed change. Bob Marotto said that as he <br />talked with other counties, it does not seem to be a lot more and it even helped to curb other <br />infractions to the ordinance. He said that on the outset there will be an increase in workload, <br />but as familiarity increases, the workload will even out. <br />Kris Bergstrand said that there was aknee-jerk reaction from a lot of people that dogs <br />would overrun the area, but this is not the case. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked if there were other counties that considered a tethering <br />ordinance but did not enact one. Kris Bergstrand said that one of the counties had to reword <br />portions of their ordinance due to complaints but other than that, there are none. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she is interested in the rationale of the three-hour limit <br />per 24 hours. Kris Bergstrand said that they were trying to balance the need for legitimate <br />tethering -such as people with disabilities who cannot walk their dogs and for those animals <br />that enjoy being outside and can be tethered humanely. <br />Kris Bergstrand said that there were also discussions about mini non-profits that could <br />help people get fences or kennels and stop tethering. <br />Jean Connerat-Austin said that two counties they talked with had aphase-in for the <br />ordinance. The ASAB does not want canine ownership to be an elitist situation. <br />Commissioner Nelson said that the 18-month education period is one of the most <br />important aspects of this recommendation. He asked about the next step and said that it <br />would be in the best interest to have a draft ordinance at the public hearing. <br />Chair Carey suggested an FAQ and answers segment with the draft ordinance. <br />2. Review of Personnel Ordinance <br />Laura Blackmon said that this ordinance was originally developed in the 1980's from a <br />policy. Certain segments have been revised over the years. She said that staff thought it <br />would be good to have a complete look at the ordinance and suggest revisions. <br />Policy and Compliance Officer Annette Moore said that the ordinance in 1975 was <br />brought forward when Manpower asked the Board of County Commissioners to develop <br />policies, and the Board looked to the Office of State Personnel and received a grant to write <br />the first Personnel Policy. There were changes and updates, and in 1985, the Board revised <br />