Ten set to address pit bull ordinance
By Donna Hilton
Published: Thursday, September 20, 2007 12:33 PM CDT
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A capacity crowd is expected tonight at a public hearing on a proposed
ordinance restricting the owners of
pit bull dogs in
Arkadelphia.
The hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom of Town Hall, 700
Clay St., prior to the regular city board meeting at 7 p.m.
The board decided to allow five people to speak in favor and five people in
opposition to the ordinance. City Manager Jimmy Bolt said he was surprised
that the slots did not fill up quickly.
"We finally got the speakers lined up yesterday," Bolt said this morning. He
and other city officials were prepared to extend the public hearing if
necessary. "If we had a tremendous response, we would have accommodated
everyone."
The 10 people will have three minutes each to speak during the hearing, he
said. Those who signed up to speak in favor of the ordinance are Mike Kolb,
Pat Gillum, Lawrence Phillips, Linda Quattlebaum and Elaine Cox. Those who
will speak against the ordinance are: James Engman, Terri Sims, Tavonda
Williams, Tanya Dziurkowski and Charles Thornburg.
Bolt said he has received several phone calls and e-mails this week about
the issue. Opinion has run the gamut from "leave my dogs alone" to
"something has to be done," he said.
All citizens are welcome to attend the hearing and stay for the city board
meeting, where directors will consider the ordinance on its second reading.
If approved, the ordinance will place several restrictions on the owners of
pit bull dogs, including mandatory registration with the city,
sterilization, implantation of identification chips and a $500 fine for
failure to comply with any of the regulations.
If dogs are seized by the animal control department for failure to comply,
owners will have to pay a $50 fine to reclaim the animal. If the animal is
not reclaimed, it will be euthanized, according to the ordinance.
"We know this is an emotional issue," Bolt said. "I just hope that everyone
is respectful of other people."
Sheriff David Turner, Police Chief Al Harris and Patrolman Jody Evans are
expected to speak to the board during the meeting about their experiences
with
pit bull dogs.
The meeting is expected to be broadcast by the Suddenlink Cable system. Due
to scheduling conflicts tonight, Suddenlink officials plan to repeat the
broadcast several times over the next few days, city officials said.
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