Fond du Lac council approves package of ordinances on dogs, parks, pools and housing; adopts bird-day and transit grant resolutions

At its meeting, the Fond du Lac City Council approved two resolutions and two ordinances covering animal-control and park rules, zoning changes for pools and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and billboard mitigation, after public comments urging stronger enforcement of dangerous-dog rules.

Public comment opened the meeting with a resident who described a personal animal-attack experience and urged clearer enforcement. The speaker said enforcement questions remain: “Who’s the burden on? Is it a burden on the police? Is it a burden on the attorneys? Is it a burden on the victims to find a lawyer?” The speaker added, “It’s only with strict enforcement that any of these laws are effective.”

Peggy Zechek, who said she and neighbors had “felt like hostages,” thanked the council for the ordinances and said she hopes the city will follow through on enforcement: “We never heard back [from the police] until I called, and I was told I had to go online and get the report back.”

The council then moved to action items. City Attorney Meghan Hoffman (introduced in the meeting as “Miss Hoffman”) presented ordinance 3808, an omnibus amendment to multiple chapters of the city code that updates rules on alcohol in parks, battery, dangerous dogs, digging and excavating in parks, animal bites and park closing hours. Hoffman told the council the version before them included additional language requested by Council Member Schuessler to clarify that “nothing in this chapter shall be construed as prohibiting the abatement of a public nuisance by the city or its officials in accordance with the laws of the state of Wisconsin and/or chapter 476 of the Code of the City of Fond du Lac.” Hoffman said that with the memo provided to…