City councilors began the process of revising Grand Marais’ animal ordinance Nov. 9 and came up with a list of questions and topics for which public input will be solicited during a December meeting.
The ordinance review was prompted by a September request from Sarah Metis, who asked council to consider allowing her to board horses overnight in the business park. Metis uses the animals for her horseback ride business, but because the city’s ordinance does not allow the overnight boarding of farm animals in the city, she has to trailer the horses to her home outside the city limits.
City Administrator Mike Roth and City Attorney Chris Hood said the request would be a good opportunity to discuss not only the horse boarding question, but to take a look at the entire animal ordinance, which was adopted in 1977 and fails to address a number of topics. Since then, Roth has looked at a number of ordinances from other cities and prepared a synopsis for council’s review.
Most of those ordinances, he said, categorize animals into domestic, farm and nondomestic, with different rules for each category. “Our ordinance deals mainly with dogs, with one mention of cats and other domestic animals,” Roth wrote. “We prohibit farm animals with a discrete list and the use of the not very helpful term ‘beasts.’” Furthermore, Roth added, there is no regulation of non-domestic or exotic animals such as wolves, bears, cougars, alligators, etc., which are commonly prohibited in other municipal ordinances. There is also no mention of chickens, pigeons or bees, which Roth said are sometimes regulated by cities.
Among the problems with the existing ordinance, said Roth, is a lack of clarity and definition. For instance, while the city’s ordinance specifically prohibits horses, mules, cow, swine, sheep, goats or “other beast,” it is not clear that a resident cannot have a tiger as a pet because “beast” is not defined. Among the items councilors said they would like public input on are: . Dogs and cats — Should licensing be required? Should an ordinance stipulate a maximum number of animals allowed, require vaccinations and that dogs be on a leash? Should a better definition of nuisance barking be included in order to facilitate enforcement? . Farm animals — There was consensus that if allowed, a minimum lot size should be included as well as a requirement that such animals be kept in an appropriately zoned area. There also seemed to be consensus that horses and cows should not be allowed in the city, and specifically not in the business park. “I do not recommend allowing farm animals to reside in the business park,” said Roth, an opinion that was shared by Mayor Larry Carlson. . Chickens — A Minnesota court has ruled that unless chickens are specifically referenced, they are not regulated. Since the existing Grand Marais ordinance does not address chickens, language needs to be added to express council’s wishes; by not changing the ordinance, chickens will be allowed. Roth said potential problems with chickens include noise, odor, disease, and being an attractive nuisance for rodents and predators. Ordinances generally require limiting the number of birds, allowing only hens, maintaining coops or runs in sanitary and humane condition, containment, and locating coops a certain distance from property lines or other structures.
Roth said there have been citizen inquiries and interest about the legality of keeping chickens, so something should be put on the books either way. Attorney Hood said those who are now raising chickens within the city limits would not necessarily be grandfathered in if a ban is enacted. . Non-domestic and exotic animals — Although many cities address this category, Grand Marais does not. Roth and Hood recommended that the ordinance be amended to state what’s included and allowed, and those animals that are not desired should be specifically named, such as cougars and other big cats.
In other business:
Hal Greenwood presented a packet of bids he gathered for repair of the city’s municipal swimming pool, and asked that the city consider that option, rather than construction of a new pool at the proposed community center. The bids show a cost of $447,793 versus an estimated $2 million to $ million for a new structure.
City Attorney Chris Hood reiterated the city’s position that council couldn’t talk about the pool situation until pending legal issues are resolved, but Mayor Larry Carlson thanked Greenwood for the information and assured him that council would “look seriously” at the option when the attorneys clear up the legal matters.
Greenwood was accompanied by Matt Hueltner, Evelyn Larsen and Gene Erickson.
Erickson, who was a city councilor when the pool was opened in 1977, said he doesn’t believe the building is “junk,” as some have said. Erickson acknowledged that the building wasn’t well cared-for over the years and said he feels bad about it. “But it’s not too late to fix it,” he added.
On the recommendation of Fire Chief Ben Silence, council approved the hiring of four new firefighters: Matt Conlin, John Henneman, Becky Sturm and Anton Moody.
Councilor and library board member Jan Sivertson reported that the library is scheduled to move and re-open in its permanent location on Dec. 5. Also, she said ORB Management will transfer the library’s title back to the city on Nov. 29; Cook County took possession of the title during the construction process.
Councilor and park board member Bill Lenz reported that things are looking good at the Rec Park, and a meeting has been scheduled for Nov. 15 to discuss the community connection and “try to get things under control….I think we were all astonished…Nobody expected that,” Lenz said of the trail’s projected cost, which was estimated at $595, 191.
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