Dog owners in Nelson now will be required to pay higher fees to the town when their stray pet gets recovered by the town dog catcher and taken to Wanderer’s Rest, after the town board adopted a new law to that effect last week.
The law changes Nelson’s current dog redemption rates of $10 for a first offense, $20 for a second offense and $30 for a third and subsequent offenses to $20, $40 and $80 for the respective offenses. After a third offense, owners of continually retrieved stray dogs would keep paying $80 per offense within a one-year period.
The Nelson town board unanimously approved the new law during its Deb. 8 regular monthly meeting after holding a public hearing on the subject. No members of the public spoke during the public hearing. The law will take effect after it is filed with the state, which should be around Jan. 1, 2017, said Town Attorney Jim Stokes.
The law change was first addressed in September, when the town board was approached by the Canastota animal shelter about increasing its redemption fees for dogs in order to be more in-line with surrounding towns. The object of the hike is to give dog owners a greater incentive to keep their pets on a leash or otherwise under control.
Nelson’s redemption fees are currently some of the lowest in the area. Other towns have increased their fees at the request of Wanderer’s Rest, including the town of Cazenovia, which changed its fee schedule in August from $25 to $40 for the first impoundment of a dog by the town dog catcher. The Fenner town board, on the other hand, declined to increase its redemption fees, which are currently $20 for first offense and $50 for second and third offense within a one year period.
Also at the meeting, the board:
•Unanimously approved a revision to its inter-municipal agreement with the village of Cazenovia for emergency police response to the town office. The change, which was labeled as addressing 911 protocol, states that when an emergency call goes out the closest law enforcement vehicle to the town hall will respond, whether it is village police, New York State Police or Madison County Sheriff’s officers. If another department is closer to the scene, Cazenovia village police will still respond as well. The IM agreement was the result of town officials having safety concerns after two recent incidents where officials felt threatened.
•Agreed to request that the state Department of Transportation examine the speed limits on both Moseley and Thomas roads within the hamlet and consider reducing those limits to 45 miles per hour. The board agreed to take the action based on petitions from residents along both roads seeking speed reductions.
•Agreed to look into a zoning issue regarding the placement of recreational vehicles and motor homes on land that contains to permanent residences. Town Codes Enforcement Officer Roger Cook said current town code states that such vehicles cannot be lived in on such land for more than a cumulative 30 days in a calendar year, and he has received complaints of violations of that code on land along Tuscarora Lake. Cook said the code as written is difficult to enforce, and he believes the town needs a “better mechanism to meet a standard – whatever that standard wants to be.” Town Supervisor Roger Bradstreet said he would consult with the chair of the town planning board on this, and the town boards would discuss the matter.
