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Town chairman says neighbor's cat led to citation; committee keeps ordinance but directs officer to use discretion
Summary
After a Hayward resident pressed the committee about repeated at‑large cat incidents, county animal-control staff confirmed a citation had been issued; the committee agreed to keep cats covered by the existing ordinance and authorized the animal-control officer discretion while staff draft clearer verbiage for future consideration.
Benjamin Kurzweil, chairman of the town of Hayward, told the Sawyer County Public Safety Committee he had documented repeated instances of a neighbor's cat entering his yard and that, after months of trying to resolve the issue, he contacted animal control.
"It is clear in the ordinance that it should be enforced," Kurzweil said, adding that he had provided time‑stamped photos and that county staff previously told him no fine would be issued. "I had contacted animal control… and that time I was told there was no fine gonna be issued and that this part of the ordinance was not gonna be enforced."
County staff reported the situation had been addressed earlier in the week and that a citation had been hand‑delivered to the property owner. "Correct — I hand delivered it to them earlier this week," the animal‑control officer said, noting the officer had offered surrender of the cat as an option and that the citation closed the immediate incident for now.
Committee members debated whether the county ordinance is too vague with respect to cats. Staff and supervisors noted the ordinance repeatedly defines dogs and uses broader language for "animals," citing restraint provisions such as section 4‑2‑10(c) ("Every female dog or cat in heat shall be confined…"). Several members suggested alternatives such as specifying "domestic animals" or creating a cat licensing requirement, while others warned of increased staff time and enforcement burden if the county began responding to every neighborhood cat complaint.
In the discussion the chair said the current situation was handled and recommended that the animal‑control officer continue to use discretion when responding to cat complaints. The committee asked staff to draft revised verbiage for future review rather than immediately removing cats from the ordinance.
The committee did not take a formal vote on an ordinance change; instead, members directed staff to prepare draft language for a future meeting and authorized the animal‑control officer to continue enforcing the ordinance as written.
The committee also heard concerns about distinguishing feral cats, barn cats and household pets, and about whether licensing would be administratively feasible. Kurzweil urged that property owners be given a clear recourse short of taking matters into their own hands.
The committee’s next step: staff will draft revised ordinance language for committee review and return the item to a future agenda.
