Advance limits dog ownership

ADVANCE, Mo. -- A major point of business at the Monday night meeting of the Advance Board of Aldermen involved the increased number of nuisance complaints concerning dogs. After attempting to deal with the problem for several years, aldermen felt they had no choice but to enact an ordinance restricting the number of dogs allowed in the city.

According to City Attorney Don Rhodes, the City is not required to "grandfather in" any dog ownership situation.

"We hate to have to do this, but we have no choice," said one alderman. "The situation is getting out of hand."

One owner of several large dogs is scheduled to appear in court, because of numerous unresolved complaints, and the owner of a kennel has received complaints from neighbors for a number of years.

The ordinance reads as follows:

WHEREAS, there have been numerous complaints by the residents of Advance, Missouri, about barking dogs,

THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF ADVANCE, MISSOURI, AS FOLLOWS:

1. No person, persons, resident, family, family, household, firm, company, corporation, or limited liability company shall keep, house, enclose or have more than two dogs (canines) in one household, lawn, yard, pen or enclosure at the same location.

2. There shall be no commercial dog kennel operated within the corporate limits of the City of Advance, Missouri.

3. Violators of Section 1, above, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, if found guilty or enter a plea of guilty, shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $500.00 and/or sentenced to jail for a term not to exceed 80 days.

This bill was introduced by an alderman from Ward I, City of Advance, Missouri, on the 18th day of March, 2013.

Aldermen voted unanimously in support of the measure.

In other city business, aldermen considering the following items:

* Voted unanimously to purchase a new commercial stove for the senior center, after hearing that the current stove was inadequate.

* Heard that the lab report for the city water received a mark of "A."

* Heard a complaint from Hank Eakers, in which he recommended that signs be painted on the walking trail in Westfield Park, directing foot traffic in one direction and bicycle traffic in the opposite direction. Mayor Ritter said that he had run this idea past the Chief of Police and the park board president, and they did not support the suggestion. Aldermen tabled the suggestion until such time as they have more complaints.

* Mayor Ritter and aldermen discussed the scoreboards at the ballparks. The mayor said that the present signs were old and that the park board might want to check with a soft drink vendor to see if they would provide new ones. He also said that the signs needed to be better maintained. In other park issues, the mayor said that the school has agreed to replace the roof on a donated storage building that does not belong to the city.

* The city has resolved its insurance deficiencies and is now fully covered with a new company.

* Mayor Ritter reported the capital improvement fund had built back up, after the city paid off a major bond. He is consulting with several authorities to make sure that these funds can be used to pave city streets. The capital improvement funds come from a 1995 one-cent sales tax. One-fourth of this tax is designated for the fire department, and one-fourth is designated for the park board. The other one-half percent tax goes into capital improvements.

* The next regularly-scheduled city meeting will be on April 15, 2013 at 6 p.m.

* The general election will be on April 2, 2013. Filings for municipal office are as follows: Mayor--Carl "Pete" Ritter (I); Alderman, Ward I--Wayne Page (I); Alderman, Ward II--Leeman Shirrell (I) and Tom Schmidt.

Present at the meeting were Mayor Pete Ritter, Aldermen Carol Blanton, Leeman Shirrell, Wayne Page, and Randy Schrader. Also present were Tom Schmidt, reporter Madeline DeJournett, JD Braswell, and Hank Eakers.