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Residents ask council for help with neighbor's beagle breeding, noise and yard debris
Summary
Two neighbors asked the council for help after months of persistent dog barking, outdoor kennels and straw/food left against fences that attracts birds. The speakers said police and code enforcement have been involved but the problem continues and they were advised to create a complaint paper trail.
Two London residents urged the City Council during the audience concerns portion of the meeting to address ongoing noise and yard concerns related to a neighbor they said is breeding beagles.
Nancy Drenning, who identified her address as 169 East High Street, told council: "These dogs just bark and bark, and they are home. They hear these dogs barking." She said a large kennel used to sit near her bedroom window, that the kennel had been moved but still contained food and water, and that on some days the barking lasted for hours. Drenning said the situation began earlier in the year and that she has filed police complaints; she told council she had discussed the matter with the law director and was told that "there might be other charges coming." (Drenning: "I talked to her I talked to the law director Tuesday and advised her that I've been conversing back and forth with you into situation and got any better. And she advised me that Steve's involved in it and that there might be other charges coming.")
Also speaking, Connie Robb, 173 East High Street, said the neighbor "lives right behind me" and described bird and droppings issues tied to straw and food piled near the fence: "I've got a pile up against the fence again. So he moved it, but then he just put it back. So he's not really listening." Both speakers asked what residents should do next.
A city official advised the speakers that a documented paper trail of complaints strengthens the city’s case if enforcement action advances to court; the official urged repeated, individual complaints and records that include dates and times. The transcript records the advice as: "The best thing for the city is a paper trail. So complaint complaint complaint." The speakers and council also discussed that police typically respond to noise complaints under local rules and that police enforcement timing may affect outcomes; the residents said officers had indicated the department's noise response is tied to specific hours.
No formal council motion or vote on immediate enforcement was recorded at the meeting. Council members and staff present encouraged the residents to continue filing complaints and to contact the law director if the situation deteriorates further.
The speakers said they began the complaint process in February and described ongoing impacts to their yards and sleep; they asked the council for clarity on what steps the city would take if complaints continued to show noncompliance.
