Millis animal-control officer asks finance committee to update fines to meet state law

Millis’ animal‑control officer told the Finance Committee on Oct. 8 that the town’s animal‑violation fine schedule in the bylaws does not match state law and needs to be updated.

"Currently, our bylaws, the fees are not up to code with the state," the officer, Erin, said. She outlined state benchmarks: "state law, for the first offense should be $50, the second offense should be $100 and the third subsequent offense should be $300." Erin said the town’s existing bylaw lists a $25 written warning for a first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses.

Committee members asked whether the town has lost revenue and how many citations are issued. Erin said citations are relatively rare, "but I'd say maybe 10 citations for the year," and confirmed that some residents who received citations have been paying the lower, current local amounts. She recommended that the bylaws be amended so the town is "in code with the state law."

Members also asked about enforcement challenges in specific areas. Erin described Oak Grove as a recurring problem where people remove leashes once on trails and where some incidents occur outside enforcement hours, making enforcement more difficult. On whether private citizens should confront off‑leash owners, Erin advised against it because of previous conflicts and recommended calling animal control instead.

Why this matters: The proposed bylaw change is procedural but necessary to align the town’s penalty schedule with state law; if approved the change would both standardize fines and ensure the town’s citations conform to legal minimums.

What’s next: The committee discussed putting corrected fine amounts into the bylaw so that citations issued comply with state law; no formal motion on the bylaw change was recorded at the Oct. 8 meeting.