Posey said the matter will not be introduced at Tuesday’s meeting of the Jasper City Council. Before the subject is discussed at an official meeting, he wants to have a work session with city attorney Russ Robertson and members of the dog ordinance committee.
On Tuesday, Posey said he will meet privately with Robertson to put the verbal recommendation “in its proper form.”
Posey said he expects the matter will be discussed at the Jasper City Council’s first meeting in September, which is scheduled for Sept. 6.
“It will be dealing with both situations — the vicious dog question and kennels,” Posey said.
Since May when the Council heard the first reading of an ordinance that proposed regulation of the breeds of dogs that may be possessed on residential property within the city limits — namely pit bull terriers, Doberman pinschers, rottweilers and chows — types of dogs many consider to be among the most dangerous, dog discussions have dominated several Council meetings.
In July, when Posey formed the committee, he appointed to it some of those on both sides of the issue who had been the most vocal.
Posey said he was impressed how the community members with vastly different points of view on the matter were able to quickly come up with a recommendation.
“They came together really well on it,” Posey said. “Now we’ll see what the Council thinks.”
Posey added “It is interesting to me that knowing all these people, and where they started from, that they managed to kind of meet in the middle.”
Although several members of the committee are still concerned about the presence of pit bulls in the city, including an individual whose wife was bitten May 25, by a dog he described as a being similar to a pit bull terrier, Posey confirmed on Friday that no breeds of dogs will be banned from city limits.
However, he said “there will be three breeds mentioned in the ordinance as proposed.”
He added “There will be some requirements in regards to those three breeds, and they will be allowed, but you’ll have to go by the ordinance or pay the consequences.”
During recent meetings of the committee, members discussed requiring that some dogs be required to be registered with the city. They also talked about making owners of these dogs put muzzles on the canines at times when they pose the most risk.
“There is a possibility of both,” Posey said. “We’ll see.”