City Council Receives MCRF Presentation, Revises ‘Dangerous Dog’ Policy

Oskaloosa City Hall

Oskaloosa City Hall

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa City Council received a presentation from the Mahaska County Recreation Foundation (MCRF) and unanimously approved revising the city’s policy regarding “dangerous dogs” and “potentially dangerous dogs” on Monday night.

MCRF Executive Director Sherry Vavra reported the MCRF’s quarterly activities.

“Our participation this summer has been insane, if you’ve been out there. We’ve had tournaments from every direction, which, you know, is a good thing,” Vavra says.

Vavra says about 2,000 kids have participated in the MCRF’s activities locally, and she says about 600 people from the Oskaloosa High School have attended tournaments.

Vavra says the MCRF has held track meets, tram-trail tours, and soccer among other events throughout the summer. She says the “Old Shoe Game” is just around the corner and will be held on Aug. 22.

In other agenda items, the city council revised the city’s code regarding dangerous dogs. City Manager Michael Schrock says after a dog is deemed dangerous, the appeals process goes through a board made up of Schrock, a police officer, and a member of the animal shelter. Shrock says it makes more sense to have a member of the public help in that process instead of himself.

In addition to that, Schrock says the penalties between a dangerous dog and a potentially dangerous dog are “essentially the same” and should be modified.

“I also think the code is a little redundant and unclear in certain areas, and specifically when it comes to the determination of a potentially dangerous animal and a dangerous animal,” Schrock says. “There is very little difference between the two.”

The council unanimously approved the first reading of the ordinance revising the code. You can find the updated code here.

The city council also unanimously approved taking back a motion made at the May 5 meeting regarding the acquisition and demolition of the property located at 517 B Avenue West. That property was recently condemned by the city because of unsafe living conditions. All residents have already been ordered out of the property. Schrock recommended diverting these funds towards the city’s operational budget. The property owner at 517 B Avenue West will be held accountable for bringing the property up to code, or seek demolition of the property within a reasonable period of time.

The council unanimously approved the following items:

  • A site plan for the property located at 1107 A Avenue West
  • An ordinance amending city code to allow angle parking on a portion of North K Street

The next city council meeting is on Aug. 4 at 6 p.m.

Posted by on Jul 23 2014. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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