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Depoe Bay adopts nuisance ordinance on emergency basis to tackle animal and refuse issues
Summary
The council approved a new nuisance ordinance amending municipal code chapter 94, invoking Lincoln County animal‑control provisions by reference and declaring an emergency to allow immediate enforcement on issues including feral cats, raccoons and hazardous refuse.
Depoe Bay’s City Council voted to adopt a revised nuisance ordinance — replacing sections of municipal code chapter 94 — and declared an emergency to accelerate enforcement on animal and refuse nuisances.
The ordinance, presented as a title‑only reading for first and second passages, updates city code to address refuse, storage of junk, and animal issues. A council member said the measure was prompted by rising feral‑cat and raccoon problems and that adopting the Lincoln County animal‑control provisions by reference would give local deputies authority to act: “It just gives more teeth to the ability for them to handle this type of situation,” the presenting councilor said.
Some councilors expressed concern that adopting the ordinance as an emergency reduced public review time; others said the situation was a public‑health and safety issue that justified quicker action. The ordinance includes exemptions for songbirds and domestic animals and references county code for animal quarantine and dangerous‑animal procedures.
What happens next: Staff will post summary language, mail notices to affected properties and work with county animal‑control to implement enforcement. The council indicated it will provide additional explanatory materials to residents.
Vote: The council approved the ordinance via title readings and voice vote; the measure was adopted as an emergency to enable immediate enforcement.
