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HomeMy WebLinkAboutH5 Dog Committee Commission Memorandum REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission FROM: Ron Brey, Assistant City Manager Chris Kukulski, City Manager SUBJECT: Dog Committee MEETING DATE: August 7, 2006 BACKGROUND: In May, 2006, a committee formed to address dog concerns presented a series of recommendations to the City Commission. The dog committee was appointed by the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board in response to concerns expressed during a parks survey. Other issues arose during the Commission discussion in May and the matter was deferred to August 7, 2006, allowing time for additional study. The interim investigation has been completed and the committee, along with the scientists who volunteered their assistance, are prepared to present the matter for Commission action. David Cook, Connie Lien, Ron Dingman, Gary Vodenahl, and Chris Guy will be making presentations on various aspects of the issue. RECOMMENDATION: The Commission should direct staff to take the necessary steps to implement recommendations supported by the Commission. FISCAL EFFECTS: Depending on the recommendations supported by the Commission, fiscal effects may include additional full or part time personnel costs, fencing and administrative costs. Subsequent recommendations may entail increased licensing fees and fines generating some additional revenue. Increased enforcement, if effective, may result in initial increases in citations followed by a downward trend in the number of citations as education and enforcement measures generate increased compliance with ordinance provisions. ALTERNATLVES: As suggested by the City Commission. Respectfully submitted, Ron Brey, Assist t by Manager Chris A. Kukulski, City Manager Attachments: Summary of initial recommendations, Initial recommendation report. Report compiled on Augusta, 2006 On May 1"the Bozeman Recreation and Parks Advisory Board (RPAB) sub committee on Dog Issues presented recommendations for action by the city commission. These recommendations were the result of an eight month study which had included four open public forums. We would hope that you will refer to the previous report issued at that time, but for clarification we are presenting a synopsis of actions which the RPAB would like the commission to act on at the August 7t" meeting. INCREASED ENFORCEMENT-Authorize the Recreation and Parks Supervisor to work with the Bozeman Police department to hire two seasonal workers. There job would be to police the parks and trails of Bozeman to promote responsible dog habits. They would be able to serve tickets to those citizens failing to follow current city ordinances. PERMIT THE OPENING OF "SNOWFIL" FOR LEASH FREE PARK ACTIVITIES- Allow the combination of GVLT, user groups, and the city to build a maintain a trail network on 50 acres of current city property for use by cross country skiers, mountain bikers, runners, and walkers. CREAT A PET ADVISORY BOARD-To provide the for amenities necessary in our growing community such as proper dog signage, user group interface with the city, dog clean-up stations. It would also deal with issues such as dog license promotion and fees. MAINTAIN BURKE PARK AS A LEASH FREE AREA-This was NOT part of the dog committee report, but has developed as a separate issue. This will be discussed by the Burke Park Use subcommittee. Bozeman Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Dog Committee Report INTRODUCTION The Recreation and Parks Advisory Board(RPAB)of Bozeman established this committee to study means to improve satisfaction for all residents of the city, both dog owners and non-dog- owners alike,who have expressed concerns over dog issues. This action was a result of a mailed survey of 900 citizens of the city by the FROST Plan(Parks, Recreation,Open Space,and Trails) revision committee. This survey revealed that the most popular form of recreation in Bozeman, not surprisingly,was the use of parks and trails by walkers,runners,hikers,and other leisure activities. It also revealed that a major complaint was the presence of dog waste,as well as off- leash dogs. This committee was charged to address these issues and study methods to improve conditions for dog and non-dog owners alike in this city. The committee consisted of several members of the RPAB (Mary Vant Hull,chair; Bob Wade, and David Cook),Connie Lien, animal control officer of Bozeman; Ron Dingman, Superintendent of Parks, Recreation, and Cemetery; Debra Thompson,assistant operations director of Heart of the Valley Animal shelter;Nancy Tanner, owner of Paws and People,and Vicky Whitney, active in local dog clubs. Meetings and research were conducted over six months and four public open forums were held for citizen input and participation in January and February of 2006. RECOMMENDATIONS 1.INCREASED ENFORCEMENT The onus for teaching responsibility to dog owners is difficult,those methods that deal with education and civic response will be dealt with further in this report. It was obvious from the public forums and research that our first major recommendation is to increase the level of enforcement of city dog ordinances. We ask that the city hire two seasonal workers who would patrol the public parks and trails on foot or bicycle with the authority to ticket violations regarding dog waste and leash control. They should have clear identification as enforcement officers. These workers would be trained and under the supervision of the Bozeman Police Department and work closely with Officer Lien. Although they would have the authority to ticket violations,their purpose would also be to educate and discuss responsibility with dog owners. This action would be cost efficient, as well as provide a reminder to our dog owners that the city ordinances are the law. 2. PROVIDE MORE OPEN SPACE Our second recommendation is that the city of Bozeman must recognize the need for more open space for dog owners to exercise and let their dogs socialize with other dogs. This requires an area of at least five to ten acres. Currently,the only area available of sufficient size is Burke Park which is being overwhelmed with the growing population. The overuse of current parks with the increasing number of dogs requires attention before it becomes a crisis situation. This city has to understand that dogs left with no ability to exercise or socialize become much more aggressive in their behavior and result in increased problems. We suggest that an available area for a leash free dog park would be the current property off M.cllhattan road(referred to recently as the Snowfill property)which is being used this winter for cross country skiers with dogs. With some improvement in the parking area,no requirement for permanent structures, and located on city dump property,the opening of this area would greatly reduce the stress on existing parks and is sorely needed. We also recommend that under the supervision of the Parks supervisor various playing fields in the city be open for leash free activity on a seasonal basis. However,this committee reached a conclusion that there should be tightening of the city ordinances which would restrict pets from these same areas during organized usage for sports activities; also regulated by the Parks department under seasonal usage. With the use of signage,the Parks department would regulate these areas so that when not in use they can be used by local residents for exercise areas with their pets. For example: Bronken Field would be open for soccer from May 1 to October ]0 with no dogs allowed; then open to dog owners for leash free activities from October 11 to April 31. This would be undertaken on a park by park basis. The presence of pets in other areas such as children's playgrounds should also be looked at regarding pet ordinances. Our suggestion is that structured play areas should be restricted at all times from pet activity. We would also like to call to the attention of the planners of the 100 acre regional park that a reasonable area for dog activities be included. Due to the large number of residences scheduled and currently in the northwest Bozeman city area,this section of the city is sorely in need of dog friendly parks. 3. INCREASE FUNDING Current city ordinances require that all pets should be licensed on a yearly basis. In 2005 there were 1308 dogs licensed and 318 cats. This is clearly a minority of pets residing in the city. We feel the current procedure is somewhat cumbersome and offer the following changes to increase the dogs licensed and increase income to the city. When dogs receive their rabies vaccination,the veterinary office would provide the owner with a city document consisting of three parts: a section stating whether the dog is spayed or neutered,a section verifying the current rabies vaccination, and a third section with an the city office address where the owner can send payment for either a single year($15)or the option of three years,the time between boosters, for$30. A higher fee would be appropriate for non spayed or neutered animals. A clear notice that a fine of $80 is assessed for failure of a dog to have a license would seem to make the choice fairly obvious. It is also recommended that the city consider a general door-to-door canvass of residences with the goal of gaining a census of pets, encouraging compliance with pet licensing,and personal interaction with residents and pet owners. A friendly discussion,the distribution of literature,and underlining the importance of civic responsibility may greatly enhance the"pet health"of Bozeman. In regards to fee rates and monetary issues this committee would like to see a separation of at least some of the funds relating to pets from the general fund. The creation of a City Pet Fund would appear, from input gained through our forums,to allow for some increase in the current fee structure as well as perhaps encourage private giving for particular projects. Dog owners seem to be much more accepting of fees or other charges when they can see their money actually going for pet issues. 4. INCREASE CIVIC REPONSIBILITY How to increase civic responsibility and awareness is the most difficult problem the committee needed to address. How do you make each and every resident of Bozeman understand their responsibility that when they walk their dog they must clean up any waste and have control of their animal? The answer is education and individual actions. The city of Bozeman needs to aid in the educational process. There are several means by which this can be accomplished. Suggestions from the public forums included the city adoption of a slogan reminding pet owners on a daily basis they should follow the ordinances. Perhaps a contest under the direction of the proper city agency could be held to popularize such a slogan. The city needs to work with radio and television stations to present public service announcements regarding pet issues. "Friendly" signage should be developed, which could be added to current signs on the city streets,telling pet owners of their responsibility. These signs could be available to the public to buy for their own neighborhoods and the money earned would be placed in the previously mentioned Pet Fund. The forums revealed that currently in Bozeman local user groups of various parks are taking a more active stance in maintaining the health and cleanliness of their respective parks. Providing "doggie bags," informal clean-ups,water sources for pets, etc. We think these forms of activity should be encouraged. The Parks department should consider recommending"Stewardship"of the various parks with the use of buttons which could be bought from the department identifying the owner as someone working to maintain and improve their parks. These buttons could be sold to add to the Pet Fund. In the next few months members of the committee will be approaching various civic groups and clubs(for example;there are multiple dog clubs in the city and county)to "Adopt a Park". To do so,the group would agree to: Raise funds to provide adequate dog stations for the park(or trail)of their choice Provide funds to the Parks department to aid in yearly maintenance of the stations(bags and removal) Provide signage for the park requesting responsible dog ownership and identifying the "adoptees" Provide a monthly or at least quarterly"clean- up"of the park. 5. ESTABLISH PET OVERSIGHT CONTINUITY The problem of pets in the urban environment is certainly not one unique to Bozeman, it is present in all towns and is, as well, always an ongoing issue. For this reason we ask that the City Commission consider establishing a"Pet Control and Activity Advisory Board". Consisting of 4 to 10 members, perhaps meeting every quarter,this board could maintain continuous oversight of the issues discussed in this report and continue working with interested groups on an on-going basis. In summary it is evident that a growing problem is present in this city which is currently being addressed in many cities across the country. Pets are an intrinsic portion of many people's lives and add greatly to their well being. We can hope that the city and the people of Bozeman undertake a new attitude to these issues and work together to maintain the feeling that this city is a great place to live.