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Montgomery Township tables feeding-animals ordinance; asks Environmental Advisory Committee to draft composting definition
Summary
After residents raised complaints about neighbors feeding animals, the township solicitor warned enforcement would be difficult; the board tabled the solicitor-drafted feeding ordinance and asked the Environmental Advisory Committee to develop a definition for acceptable composting to be incorporated into any future ordinance.
The Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors reviewed a solicitor-drafted ordinance amendment intended to prohibit the feeding of animals after a resident complaint alleging property damage and health concerns.
Township manager Carolyn McCreery explained the complaint and the solicitor described likely enforcement steps: begin with a complaint and education, send follow-up notices, escalate to certified notices and citations but enforcement could be challenging because officers often would not personally witness the feeding and a complainant might need to testify. The solicitor recommended education and progressive enforcement if noncompliance continued.
Board members raised concern that common yard composting and other unintentional food-scrap practices could be caught by a broad feeding prohibition. Members suggested that a more specific definition of acceptable composting (enclosed containers, covered receptacles) would be necessary to avoid penalizing routine composting. Several residents described local nuisance problems (foxes, animals accessing food) and urged the board to give the issue more study.
Outcome The board voted to table the proposed feeding-animals ordinance while requesting that Supervisor Beth Staub serve as the liaison to the Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) to draft a recommended definition of composting and acceptable compost receptacles for inclusion in a future ordinance. Staff confirmed any grant applications or ordinance changes would be publicly posted and on a future agenda for formal action.
The decision preserves the township’s ability to act while asking subject-matter volunteers to recommend narrowly tailored, enforceable language that would exempt properly managed composting receptacles.
