Searcy officials revisiting ordinance prohibiting dogs in city parks – Searcy Daily Citizen

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Updated: January 11, 2023 @ 12:44 pm
Stafford

Stafford
Searcy officials are considering allowing dogs back into the city’s parks.
The potential change to the city’s Code of Ordinances was discussed at the Searcy City Council’s agenda meeting Thursday.
Planning and Development Director Richard Stafford told the council that he and new Mayor Mat Faulkner had “talked a little bit” about possibly changing the ordinance,” what that might look like. He asked me to investigate what our ordinance looks like, what it says and what would be the potential to talk about that.”
Searcy Code of Ordinances Article 1, Section 6-21(f) says that “except for organized dog shows or other similar events conducted with the consent of the mayor or his representative, it shall hereafter be unlawful and punishable as set forth in this article for any person to bring or allow any dog to enter upon the premises of the Searcy Sports Complex or any city park maintained by the city of Searcy (excepting the bicycle trails), provided that this provision shall be inapplicable to seeing eye dogs or other dogs which are specially trained to provide assistance to any person suffering from a handicap.”
Stafford said there has been a lot of discussion in the community about “the fact that we don’t allow dogs in the park.” In the input meeting for the 20-year master plan being developed for the city, Stafford said one of the first things to come out of that is the dog prohibition.
“If you’ve taken the survey,” Stafford said, “the last question is kind of an open-ended survey where you can kind of type whatever you want. A huge amount of those were just about the fact that we don’t allow dogs in our parks.”
Stafford said it is known that there would be many for dogs being allowed and others who probably wouldn’t be for that or would be concerned about always having to pick up after their dogs, always having them on a leash and people who might be afraid of dogs.
He said the Code Enforcement Department, mayor and he would investigate how to allow dogs in the park “responsibly,” with the possibility of eventually having “doggie pickup stations” for owners to dispose of waste. Any sort of fines also would be looked at if the ordinance was to be changed.
“I’ve had some complaints about the prohibition,” Councilman Don Raney said. “I think we ought to in some shape, form or fashion … so you need to come up with leash requirements or specific areas in certain parks that they could run free and things like that.”
Stafford said there was talk about looking at specific parks; “maybe there’s some parks that would be more appropriate than others where we wouldn’t let the dogs be allowed in that park.”
Stafford said he and Faulkner talked about this month being the time that maybe a draft could be put together that would make the change and perhaps it could be presented at next month’s council meeting for discussion.
Stafford
What: City officials reviewing ordinance prohibiting dogs in city parks
When: Possible draft of changes to ordinance to be presented to council next month; council holding January meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 401 W. Arch Ave.
Why: Investigating how to allow dogs “responsibly” based on many in community wanting ban lifted
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