GENTRY — A new ordinance governing procedures for dealing with animal bites was adopted unanimously by the city council at its Sept. 7 meeting, with rules suspended, on three readings with a single vote and with an emergency clause attached, placing the ordinance into effect immediately.

Gentry’s previous ordinance allowed pet owners to quarantine their own animals and also allowed either a veterinarian, an animal control officer or a police officer to make the determination that the biting animal was not diseased.

The new ordinance, which was quickly passed because of a number of recent animal bites within the city, requires that the police department be notified when anyone is bitten by an animal inside the city.

If an owner of the biting animal cannot be immediately identified and it cannot be confirmed that the animal has current immunization against rabies, the animal shall be taken to a veterinarian to be euthanized and the head shall be delivered to an appropriate laboratory to determine if the animal was rabid, the ordinance states.

If an owner can be located, the animal must be taken to a licensed veterinarian or an approved detention facility for a confinement of at least 10 days at the owner’s expense.

If the animal is found free of rabies, it will be returned to its owner after the owner pays all fees for the animal’s detention and observation. If the animal is found to be rabid, the veterinarian is required to notify the person bitten and the county health department immediately, according to the ordinance.

The tightening of the city law on handling cases of animal bites prevents owners from quarantining their own animals and requires that a licensed veterinarian make the determination whether an animal is rabid or rabies free.

In other action, the council also passed a resolution with rules suspended, on three readings with a single vote and with an emergency clause attached to adopt the new ordinance books prepared for the city and put them into effect.

A sign ordinance was brought to the council after much work by the planning and zoning commission with a recommendation to pass, but the council raised more questions about a number of items in the proposed ordinance and those items were referred back to the planning and zoning commission for further study.

A tree ordinance was brought back to the council and approved on a second reading. The ordinance governs trees on public property or which are a safety hazard to people on public property. Adoption of such an ordinance is necessary for the city to become a Tree City USA. The ordinance will be brought back for its third and final reading at the October meeting.

News, Pages 2 on 09/15/2010