News

Town board enacts tougher leash law

By David Gordon

GREENVILLE — Greenville Town Supervisor Kevin Lewis recalls the day he saw a young boy with his dog on a leash being harassed by a dog running loose in the Town Park.

“I saw this kid with his dog on a leash running away from a large dog. The owner said, ‘You can’t make me keep my dog on a leash; this town doesn’t have a leash law.’”

That was then.

The Greenville Town Board has voted to enact an amended dog control law that forbids dog owners from letting their animals off the leash in specified areas.

Specifically, dogs may not run loose in any hamlet residential (HR) district, the hamlet business (HB) district, any school premises or recreational area, any town park or on town sidewalks. Dogs may be allowed off a leash in areas designated by the Town Board.

Later in the meeting, the board voted to establish an area where dogs could run loose in the portion of the town park to the north and west of the boundaries of the field used by the Greenville Barnstormers airplane club.

A public hearing on the law drew considerable comment, along with a letter from the Greenville Barnstormers.

The letter, signed by club president William Atwood, notes that dogs have jumped on club members while flying their remote-controlled model airplanes.

“This action can turn a fun day into a tragedy,” Atwood wrote. “The pilot is distracted and can cause serious problems to people and property as he can lose control of the model. Also, there have been piles of dog waste on the field which can ruin our planes if it gets on them.”

In addition to the airfield, people in the park have complained about dog feces on the Little League fields and soccer fields, the parking lot and trails. However, the law would provide for people who want to let their dogs loose for exercise.

“Right away, the leash law would be in effect, but we have designated areas where dogs can be off leash at a certain point,” said dog control officer Melissa Rosa. “The long-range plan would be to have a dog park.” This would be in an enclosed area, “so people could have fun with their dogs but know that they can’t go in places where they shouldn’t be.”

Rosa suggested that a group of citizens get together and go over a detailed map of the Town Park to determine the best location for an off-leash area. Brian Mulligan said he could locate a map that shows the trails and recreation areas of the park.

One member of the audience said he was concerned that the penalties for violation of the dog law seem excessive. “A hundred dollar fine? Fifteen days in jail? Who can afford that? Lose their job or something, over something silly,” he said.

Rosa explained that the penalties apply to all the provisions in the law, and a judge will take circumstances into account. The specified penalties are maximums, she said.

The law provides for a $100 fine and up to 15 days in jail for the first offense and up to $250 fine and 15 days in jail for subsequent offenses.

About a dozen people were at the meeting, and Rosa said she was disappointed at the turnout.

“You have a meeting so everyone can have their input, and if nobody shows up then … if I say OK from this point to this point dogs may be off leash, and if someone doesn’t like it, they may say ‘why did you do that?’ Well, why didn’t you show up at the meeting?”

During the public hearing, Rosa said the law could go into effect, with the free area designated later. However, before the end of the meeting, the board passed a resolution defining, at least tentatively, where the off-leash area could be.

The leash law sections are the main new feature of the law, which supersedes the previous dog law. The law also forbids dog owners from allowing their animals to damage public or private property, bite or harass any person, kill or injure any pet, be unlicensed or fail to have a tag. Female dogs must be kept confined while in heat.

The leash law can be waived for dogs used for hunting, provided the property owner knows the dogs are on his property and consents to their being their.

There will be a grace period while people become familiar with the requirements of the law, signs are made and placed and so on, Rosa said. At first, violators will be warned, it may be several weeks or months before penalties are imposed.

The Town Board also approved a second local law, providing for alternates for the planning board and zoning board of appeals. The law codifies the procedures and requirements of board members, which have been written into policies but never made a law.

Lewis said the descriptions of the duties and responsibilities of the board members are the same as the current policies. However, he said, the creation of alternates’ positions must be embodied in law. As long as the town is passing a law, it makes sense to include the existing provisions.

Alternates serve when members of the planning or zoning boards are absent or unable to participate because of conflicts of interest. This will allow the boards to conduct meetings with a quorum when members are absent or in conflict, he said.

Councilman Wayne Nelsen asked that alternates be required to attend all meetings of their respective boards so they are aware of the issues they are voting on. Attorney Tal Rappleyea said the law specifies that all the requirements for board members apply equally to alternates.

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