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Powell council moves to rewrite pet rules, leans toward limit of two dogs and two cats
Summary
Council agreed to send planning’s recommendations to legal to draft ordinance changes that would move animal rules out of zoning and clarify household limits; the mayor suggested a two-dog, two-cat default and residents raised enforcement and breeder questions.
Mayor John Wetzel said the city should move animal provisions from the zoning code into the municipal ordinances and asked legal to draft language clarifying household limits. “I think what we should do is just make it read that a household is allowed to have 2 dogs and 2 cats,” Wetzel said.
The change follows planning-and-zoning recommendations to relocate sections of Chapter 17.76 into Chapter 6.04 and to remove ambiguous “small indoor pet” phrasing so that limits and enforcement are clearer. Council members said the proposed rewrite would come back as ordinance language for three readings.
Residents urged the council to consider enforcement and special cases. Venus, a resident who spoke at the podium, asked how the ordinance would treat breeders and how long owners would have to rehome puppies. “How long would they have to get rid of their puppies, find homes for them…? That’s something that would need to be taken in consideration,” Venus said.
A neighboring resident described an ongoing nuisance he attributed to a property keeping multiple dogs: “We’ve had this house behind me that’s had 5 dogs and the police has been called many a times… No tickets ever been written,” the resident said, asking for stricter enforcement when complaints are verified.
Another commenter suggested mandatory remedial measures for properties cited for animal nuisances, such as requiring noise-control collars or other specified controls as part of corrective actions.
Next steps: council members agreed to direct legal to draft ordinance language reflecting the planning-and-zoning recommendations and the council’s preference to clarify household limits; the ordinance will return for formal readings and votes.
