SHELBY, Ohio – Four pieces of legislation addressing the keeping of livestock in Shelby will be presented to Shelby City Council on Sept. 21 after being approved by the city’s Safety Committee last Thursday.
After a long process of drafts and rewrites, committee and council members Derrin Roberts and Pat Carlisle approved the four ordinances as written and agreed to send the legislation on to the law director before being presented to council.
The legislation discussed on Thursday is not currently in effect – the ordinances will appear at council for three readings and will require three council members’ votes to be passed into law.
“Not at all are we trying to keep animals away from anybody,” said Roberts. “What we’re trying to do is make sure we don’t get crazy with the amount of animals people have. Its time has come.”
The need for new legislation regulating animals within Shelby city limits was first brought to council in January, when Shelby resident Deanna Ratliff complained about the sights and smells coming from the animals belonging to her neighbor, Samantha Wilson.
“Somebody’s got to put a stop to it,” said Ratliff in a June interview with Richland Source. “The sounds and the smells don’t stop at the property line.”
According to the proposed legislation, “Keeping, harboring and maintaining livestock inside the city limits has become sufficiently frequent so as to necessitate a permitting process; the livestock permitting process allows for an appeal in the case of the denial of a permit.”
One proposed ordinance outlines more detailed regulations for the raising of livestock within city limits. The legislation states there would be three classes of livestock permitted inside the city limits: hoofed and split-hoofed livestock, fowl and Lagomorpha.
All keeping, harboring or maintaining of livestock would be permitted annually through an application process made to the mayor, and all permits would limit the maximum total number of livestock per address as well as the maximum number of each class of livestock per address.
“This is the intent to make certain that every animal in this city is permitted, accounted for, we know where they are so every time the police department or the health department or the Humane Society are asked to investigate a public complaint they already know on record whether that is a permitted site and what animals are permitted to that site,” said Carlisle.
If a permit is denied, an appeal process and inspection of the property and livestock would be requested through the Livestock Appeals Board. A second proposed ordinance explains the board would be a five-member volunteer board, approved by the mayor, of resident electors from each of the four wards plus an at-large member.
“The only thing the board really does is to review a denial of a permit – they have nothing to do with complaints about livestock, that is strictly police department, health department and Humane Society,” said Carlisle.
Carlisle explained the language of the proposed ordinances provides an even playing ground for all Shelby residents and does not allow for any exemptions previously made for agricultural education programs or residents raising animals for their own income or diet.
Every person wanting an animal for any reason within city limits must apply for a permit.
“[The old language] got completely misconstrued, misrepresented and abused before, so we removed all of that from these ordinances,” said Carlisle.
“That language when the original ordinance was adopted, I will say now publicly that was one of the stupidest things I ever did to a piece of legislation, for those reasons,” added council member Garland Gates.
Two other proposed ordinances involving the location and care of barns, coops, pens or barnyard in proximity to residences and businesses, and the disposing of animal wastes, are also heading to council on Sept. 21.
A number of Shelby residents were present at Thursday’s meeting to voice their opinions on the proposed legislation. Crystal Eldridge of Jeffrey Avenue expressed concern for the 4-H and FFA projects her children take to the fair.
“This is a summer responsibility they have; the money they get from these auctions goes into a savings account and will be used towards college. This is something you’re taking away from them,” said Eldridge. “Where we take care of our animals, there are people that don’t take care of their animals, but what has been done to that?”
Roberts explained the proposed ordinances do not say that Shelby residents cannot have animals; the ordinances would simply limit the number of animals permitted on properties within city limits. He noted completing the permit process would serve as another learning opportunity for 4-H and FFA students.
“This is all set up because we can’t have people run amok with 50 chickens on their lot,” said Roberts. “It hasn’t happened yet, but right now we have no mechanism to keep it from getting out of control all over the city. If that happens, there are going to be more people calling downtown because people have too many animals than there are calling because they can’t keep their animals.”
“I appreciate everything 4-H has done for youngsters, I know 4-H programs from firsthand experience,” added Carlisle. “Animals are part of 4-H, not the only part. They are a popular part currently, but that doesn’t mean it is the only project that youngsters can take and still benefit from the program of 4-H.”
Shelby Police Chief Lance Combs also noted the proposed ordinances would assist police officers in enforcing animal complaints.
“No one here is opposed to anybody necessarily having animals, but we can’t let things get so out of control that we say you can have whatever you want because that’s where we’re at right now,” said Combs.
Roberts noted the proposed ordinances will appear in Shelby City Council three times for three separate readings in the coming weeks; anyone wishing to learn more about the proposed ordinances or address council with questions or concerns may attend Shelby City Council meetings at 7 p.m. at the Shelby Justice Center on Sept. 21, Oct. 5 and Oct. 19.
“We’ve done a lot of work; we’re making it easier for the police to do their job and we’ve tried very hard to accommodate especially the students,” said Roberts. “We know it’s an important part of life in general, learning how to take care of things.
“No animals in town is not feasible; people have done it for a long time and for us to come in and say it can’t happen anymore is wrong,” he continued. “We didn’t do that, and we’re really trying to accommodate the people that have them.”
Keeping, harboring and maintaining livestock inside the city limits has become sufficiently frequent so as to necessitate a permitting process; the livestock permitting process allows for an appeal in the case of the denial of a permit.
