Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Control topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts amendment to animal licensing deadline; clarifies 'potentially dangerous' fee history
Summary
Pompton Lakes approved Ordinance 24-36 to amend the licensing deadline (March 15) and discussed an existing $500 discretionary fee for dogs deemed potentially dangerous; staff said the fee and definition predate this amendment and that the vote only changed the due date.
The Pompton Lakes Mayor and Council voted to adopt Ordinance 24-36, which amends the borough code to change the licensing due date to March 15. Administrator Michael Crowell told the governing body that the ordinance language as presented included preexisting code sections and that the only substantive change under consideration at this meeting was the adjusted due date.
During public comment, resident Randy Hinton asked whether a $500 fee listed in the ordinance applied annually and how "potentially dangerous" dogs would be defined. Crowell said the $500 fee had been adopted by the governing body in 2018 and is assessed at the animal control officer's discretion in cases where a dog seriously injures another animal or a person. He confirmed the fee is charged on a per-year basis and noted the borough had no records showing the fee had been used recently.
Council members asked for follow-up clarification of the code language. Crowell acknowledged the ordinance text included surrounding code for context and committed to send a follow-up email to the governing body clarifying where the definition appears in the borough code and how the fee would be applied.
The vote: after brief discussion limited to the due-date change and a request to confirm definitions, the council approved Ordinance 24-36 for final adoption by roll call.
