Commissioners consider change to ordinance on dogs

In helping with dogs that may be a problem to residents, the Houston County Board of Commissioners had the first reading of an ordinance amendment regarding unified animal control.

County attorney Tom Hall said this amendment clarifies some of the definitions within the Unified Animal Control Ordinance. It also adds back in the “potentially dangerous dog” status.

Hall said, “The Animal Control Board who hears appeals regarding dangerous and vicious dogs had relayed the idea that they wanted the ability to say ‘this is a potentially dangerous dog,’ not just dangerous or vicious. We put that back in, and I think that will be a tool that they can use in dealing with dogs that may have a problem.”

Commissioner Gail Robinson thanked Animal Control Officer Alan Smith for the work he’s done in putting the Unified Animal Control Ordinance together.

Commission Chairman Tommy Stalnaker asked, “Are all local governments on board with these changes with this ordinance?”

Smith confirmed that they are all unified. He said the only difference he knows of between Centerville and Perry is that they allow for citizens to have six “animals,” whereas the county and Warner Robins allow specifically for three dogs and three cats.

“From my understanding, Perry has already passed it, Warner Robins has already passed it and it’s coming up in Centerville in the short future,” Smith said.

A public hearing will be held at the next meeting on June 20.

In old business, a public hearing was held for a special exception application by Miles McMillan for a home occupation food concessions business, which was approved by the commissioners. Other special exception applications approved were for a day care, construction consulting, sales and consulting, two lawn services, construction, personal trainer, heating and air, handyman, bucket truck service and sewing (internet sales).

Commending an applicant for doing the right thing, one citizen said he would like to see the county find those who are operating businesses illegally. Stalnaker said this is very difficult to detect. He advised for the citizen to inform them of those people. He said they want everybody to be treated fairly. He said they pledge to do everything to catch those who are in violation.

Also approved were the following: city of Warner Robins annexation request by Ernest W. Livingston Jr. for the 5.2 acre property located at Booth Road and Russell Parkway for a proposed grocery store; Superior Court employment contracts for court reporters Wendy Nelson, Connie Montgomery and Joy Malone for terms beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2018; independent contractor agreements between the county and the four local attorneys, which will provide for the defense of indigent persons in cases where the Houston County Public Defender’s Office has declared a conflict of interest; quit claim deed (Holt Road); acceptance of the Mental Health Accountability Court grant in the amount of $211,554 from the state of Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for the purposes of continuing the Mental Health and Veterans Accountability Court (Houston County’s required match is $21,115); agreement with Traylor Business Services Inc. for personal property audits in FY2018; abandonment of easement for James Dryden; budget adjustments in the sheriff’s department (elimination of one deputy sheriff sergeant position and to create one deputy sheriff lieutenant position in the investigations division, and to eliminate one deputy sheriff position and create one deputy sheriff corporal position in the HEAT (Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic) unit (the total cost of these changes ($3,813.40) will be covered from within Sheriff Cullen Talton’s current budget); surplus vehicle declaration and transfer; award the parking lot expansion project at the VECTR (Veterans Education Career Transition Resource) Center to Peed Brothers of Butler in the amount of $99,000; award of the sheriff’s department’s storage building construction project to International City Builders of Warner Robins in the amount of $975,000 (this is a 2012 Special Purpose Lost Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funded project); and the payment of the bills totaling $3,323,417.48.

SSgt. Jeremy Mashuga, retired from the U.S. Army, led the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the meeting. He said he served proudly and loved being in the Army. He became a police officer in 1980 until 2005. He retired and was called out of retirement and is now with the Centerville Police Department, which he noted he’s really proud to work for the police chief. Also, during public comments, two citizens complained about cleanup and drainage issues in their neighborhood.

Due to the Fourth of July holiday, the commissioners rescheduled their July meeting to Wednesday, July 5.

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