Item 1 - Ordinance Concerning Dogs on Alder Street

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ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Public Hearing: An Ordinance Concerning Dogs on Alder Street and Repealing Section 4.427 of the Eugene Code, 1971 Meeting Date: September 19, 2011 Agenda Item Number: 1 Department: Eugene Police Staff Contact: Lieutenant Doug Mozan www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5164 ISSUE STATEMENT This is a public hearing to gather public comments on an ordinance concerning dogs on Alder Street. In 1996, the City Council adopted a prohibition on dogs in the business district around the intersection of th East 13 Avenue and Alder Street. Councilor Betty Taylor has introduced an ordinance to repeal the ban on dogs in this neighborhood. The ordinance repeals the entire section 4.427, and thereby permits dogs in this area. No other changes to animal regulations are affected by the proposed ordinance. BACKGROUND In August 1996, the City Council adopted Ordinance 20057, establishing a ban on dogs in the business th district around the intersection of Alder Street and East13 Avenue. The area where dogs are banned thth was expanded in Ordinance 20071, and currently includes Alder between East 12 and East 14 avenues th and East 13 Avenue between Pearl and Kincaid streets. At the initial public hearing on August 5, 1996, there were 42 people speaking on the topic, with 18 speaking in favor of the ban, and 20 against the ban (the remaining people were neither for nor against). The council discussed the issue at its meeting on August 7, and adopted the ban on August 12, 1996. The ordinance has remained in effect since that date. The original intent of the ban was to address health and safety concerns, as well as congestion, caused by the number of dogs in the business area. At the time the ban was sought and later enacted, large th groups of people flocked to the East 13 Avenue corridor because of the favorable conditions for pan- handling, drug sales and drug use. Many of these transients had dogs. Area residents and students reported frightening encounters with aggressive dogs. A ban on dogs was one tool sought to mitigate the problem of lawless behavior among transients. Reviewing the testimony provided during the last City Council hearing about this topic, there is both support and opposition to the ban. Those who opposed the ban said that it was inappropriate to implement an area-wide ban of normally lawful activity to target a small portion of the population. Others commented that there are already regulations in place to address the criminal activity, and that those regulations should be enforced rather than adding more regulations. Those who spoke in support of the ban expressed public health and safety concerns resulting from dogs in a congested commercial area. S:\CMO\2011 Council Agendas\M110919\09-19-11 Item 1-Ordinance Concerning Dogs in the Area of Alder and 13th streets.doc