STARKVILLE — The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors will adopt a vicious dog ordinance Monday morning. They need citizens to weigh in one final time before making it official.
The second public hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday morning at the boardroom in the Oktibbeha County courthouse.
Board President Marvell Howard said the latest draft of the document won’t include any major changes, other than minor grammatical tweaks.
Once adopted, there’s a 30-day waiting period before it takes effect.
“I haven’t gotten any calls or emails since the last public hearing (in September), so I take that as a positive response to what we’ve been working on,” Howard said. “the board realized this was something that couldn’t wait any longer. The public really wanted this.”
A copy of the revised ordinance is available on the county’s website, oktibbehacountyms.org.
The penalty cap for a misdemeanor conviction, is a six-month jail term and $500 fine not already outlined by state law.
For the first offense, a person will be fined $25, no less than $50 for the second offense and no less than $100 for all subsequent offenses.
Oktibbeha County Justice Court may also require up to 100 hours of community service. Additionally, the Justice Court reserves the right to apply penalties provided by state law for an offense that exceeds penalties listed in the ordinance.
The ordinance does not include a leash law.
In addition to fines and jail time, violators would be ordered to pay for any fees related to picking up a dog and storing it, including vaccination. Oktibbeha County Prosecutor Roy E. Carpenter, who made recommendations for the fines and penalties section, said in October that ordering violators to pay for handling and retrieval fees was necessary because the county likely will use the Starkville Police Department’s animal control officers when needed.
Oktibbeha County sheriff’s deputies will respond to complaints of vicious dogs but will rely on Starkville Police Department animal control officers to apprehend and transport dogs. It’s still unclear how the county will compensate the city for that service.
Count Administrator Don Posey said compensation with the city will be ironed out once the ordinance is adopted.
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