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Boulder City hearing opens debate on leash law and animal-control bill package ahead of Feb. 25 votes
Summary
Council introduced three animal-control bills for Feb. 25 (microchipping impounded animals, decriminalizing minor violations, and removing a supervision exception) and heard robust public comment both for and against leash requirements, with residents and advocates disagreeing on enforcement and penalty levels.
Boulder City's council introduced three proposed ordinances addressing animal control and received sustained public comment with both strong support for a leash law and opposition from residents who said enforcement should target irresponsible owners rather than restricting responsible ones.
The city introduced Bill 2076 (to require microchipping of animals found at large and impounded and to allow a microchip to fulfill license attachment), Bill 2077 (to decriminalize minor animal-control violations and replace criminal penalties with civil penalties for certain offenses), and Bill 2078 (to remove the supervision-and-control exception to the prohibition on animals being at large). All three were read for title and scheduled for consideration at the Feb. 25 council meeting.
Public commenters offered sharply differing views. Craig Wilkinson said he opposed the leash-law proposal and asked how owners could play with dogs on a leash, saying, "To remove my rights to play with my dog as I see fit as a responsible pet owner is not justified because of a few bad pet owners out there." By contrast, Rod Walters urged the city to adopt a leash law to protect animals and people, saying leash rules help prevent dogs from running into traffic or engaging with unsocialized animals.
Several residents cited personal incidents of bites and attacks. Fred Damano pressed staff and council on enforcement of existing law and provided local dog-bite counts for 2024 that he said showed 24 bites "in the city of Boulder City for 2024," of which he stated 4 were by dogs at large, 7 were by dogs on leashes, and 13 occurred inside homes. Fred Volts (for the record) urged the council not to reduce criminal penalties for animal cruelty to civil infractions, arguing that weaker penalties would "incent" more severe abuse and asked that comments be included verbatim in the record.
Other speakers supported targeted measures. Pam Triolo and Deborah Finnegan both said they back a leash law along with microchipping and owner identification to help reunite animals with owners and reduce shelter intake. Jay Mead raised technological tools for control, noting electric collars as a method to manage some dogs.
Council members did not take final votes on the animal-control ordinances at this meeting; the bills were introduced for consideration on Feb. 25. Several councilmembers asked staff and the police to provide enforcement details and clarifications about how any new civil penalties would be managed versus current enforcement of criminal code sections.
