Corinne council considers removing city dog-control ordinance; schedules public hearing

Shane Baden, chair of the Corinne City Council, opened a prolonged discussion on the city's animal-control ordinance, presenting a written opinion from the city attorney that said state law does not require municipalities to maintain local animal-control services and that Corinne could rescind its dog-control ordinance.

The attorney's review, read aloud by Baden, said cities may remove local ordinances and rely on county or state statutes and prosecuting authorities for enforcement, but warned that practical issues remain, including whether prosecutors will pursue civil animal cases and where animals would be housed after abatement. "My proposal is we get rid of it and deal with that," Baden said, explaining the idea would end city licensing and potentially shift enforcement to the Box Elder County sheriff under state code.

Councilmembers discussed operational and community implications. Karen Caldwell said the department had no sheltering partner now and the change could reduce costs and administrative burden. Joshua Morris and others noted a mismatch between Corinne's current code and state law: the city's ordinance references a three-day holding period, while council members reported state law now provides five days. The transcript contained an inconsistent account of the medical-call counts in the fire report and other small numeric items; council asked staff to reconcile code language with state statutes before any vote.

Opponents raised concerns about unintended consequences. Councilmember Tom Little and others warned that removing the ordinance could encourage dumping or leave residents unclear about enforcement and recovery of animals; members cited a past example in which other municipalities incurred large boarding bills. Multiple councilmembers emphasized that careful public communication would be required: "It's all in how we communicate it," Caldwell said.

Rather than immediately rescinding the ordinance, the council agreed on next steps. Baden said he would contact the Box Elder County sheriff's office and other deputies to explain the council's thinking and hear whether the county would enforce state statutes; staff were instructed to schedule a public hearing and publish notice so residents can comment before any ordinance change. Joshua Morris said he had reached out to county deputies but had not yet received a reply.

The council did not take a formal vote to remove the ordinance at the meeting; members characterized the plan as a policy direction to pursue further information and solicit public input.