While it was raining like cats and dogs outside Tuesday night, the Tecumseh city council was busy inside talking about cats and dogs, literally, as they approved a new animal control ordinance.
Tabled from the August meeting, the proposal was a revised ordinance drafted by City Attorney Michael Warwick to simplify the city’s unorganized group of animal ordinances now that the city is operating its own animal shelter.
After considerable discussion, concerns and suggestions from council members during last month’s meeting, Warwick redrafted parts of that proposal and returned it for discussion at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The new ordinance passed after a few other amendments were considered and agreed upon. After discussion, the council approved measures that allow city residents to have a maximum of four dogs, if those canines are spayed or neutered, and three dogs if they are not. Any more than four dogs is considered a kennel and that falls into another ordinance.
Because some residents may currently have more than the maximum dogs allowed, the city council instituted a grandfather clause for those who have dogs over that number, provided those canines are licensed with the city.
“We don’t want to punish someone who has four dogs now,” Warwick said.
Because the cat population is an ongoing problem, the new ordinance also puts limits on the number of cats. It allows owners to have six cats which are spayed or neutered, or three cats if they aren’t.
Other discussion revealed that no goats are allowed in the city limits, although there is a permit procedure for those who wish to have goats. Initially, no chickens were permitted, but Councilwoman Linda Praytor said several residents do have chickens in town. With an amendment, chickens can be allowed, provided they aren’t a nuisance.
Other changes from the previous ordinance was an increase in the space needed for residents to own horses and cows in town, which is now 3,000 square feet instead of 1,500 square feet, provided they are not housed within 250 feet of another residence.
In other business, the council approved a truck route resolution in hopes of preserving the city’s streets from any further excessive wear and tear.
The council previously designated Highland Street as a truck route to the Brooksville landfill to keep trucks out of other residential areas. Tuesday, councilors approved a measure that means all trucks with a gross vehicle weight in excess of 5 tons or 10,000 pounds must use marked truck routes, which is all state or federally designated highways, such as SH 9 and U.S. 177.
District 2 County Commissioner Jerry Richards, who attended the meeting, said he planned to blacktop Broadway Extension, but he said he needed the city’s help in keeping truck traffic from destroying the road, which he said “won’t hold up much longer.”
With the passage of the resolution, trucks exceeding the weight limit will need to follow truck routes and stay off city of Tecumseh roads that aren’t federal or state highways. Since most of those involved are trash trucks from the Oklahoma City going to the Brooksville landfill, those workers will have to drive a few miles farther along U.S. 177 to Brooksville Road.
There are, however, provisions allowing trucks on city roads if they are making deliveries to homes or businesses in town. Truck route signs will be put up as soon as possible and then the Tecumseh Police Department will be tasked with enforcing the new resolution.
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While it was raining like cats and dogs outside Tuesday night, the Tecumseh city council was busy inside talking about cats and dogs, literally, as they approved a new animal control ordinance.
Tabled from the August meeting, the proposal was a revised ordinance drafted by City Attorney Michael Warwick to simplify the city’s unorganized group of animal ordinances now that the city is operating its own animal shelter.
After considerable discussion, concerns and suggestions from council members during last month’s meeting, Warwick redrafted parts of that proposal and returned it for discussion at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The new ordinance passed after a few other amendments were considered and agreed upon. After discussion, the council approved measures that allow city residents to have a maximum of four dogs, if those canines are spayed or neutered, and three dogs if they are not. Any more than four dogs is considered a kennel and that falls into another ordinance.
Because some residents may currently have more than the maximum dogs allowed, the city council instituted a grandfather clause for those who have dogs over that number, provided those canines are licensed with the city.
“We don’t want to punish someone who has four dogs now,” Warwick said.
Because the cat population is an ongoing problem, the new ordinance also puts limits on the number of cats. It allows owners to have six cats which are spayed or neutered, or three cats if they aren’t.
Other discussion revealed that no goats are allowed in the city limits, although there is a permit procedure for those who wish to have goats. Initially, no chickens were permitted, but Councilwoman Linda Praytor said several residents do have chickens in town. With an amendment, chickens can be allowed, provided they aren’t a nuisance.
Other changes from the previous ordinance was an increase in the space needed for residents to own horses and cows in town, which is now 3,000 square feet instead of 1,500 square feet, provided they are not housed within 250 feet of another residence.
In other business, the council approved a truck route resolution in hopes of preserving the city’s streets from any further excessive wear and tear.
The council previously designated Highland Street as a truck route to the Brooksville landfill to keep trucks out of other residential areas. Tuesday, councilors approved a measure that means all trucks with a gross vehicle weight in excess of 5 tons or 10,000 pounds must use marked truck routes, which is all state or federally designated highways, such as SH 9 and U.S. 177.
District 2 County Commissioner Jerry Richards, who attended the meeting, said he planned to blacktop Broadway Extension, but he said he needed the city’s help in keeping truck traffic from destroying the road, which he said “won’t hold up much longer.”
With the passage of the resolution, trucks exceeding the weight limit will need to follow truck routes and stay off city of Tecumseh roads that aren’t federal or state highways. Since most of those involved are trash trucks from the Oklahoma City going to the Brooksville landfill, those workers will have to drive a few miles farther along U.S. 177 to Brooksville Road.
There are, however, provisions allowing trucks on city roads if they are making deliveries to homes or businesses in town. Truck route signs will be put up as soon as possible and then the Tecumseh Police Department will be tasked with enforcing the new resolution.
