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Council gives first reading to animal-control ordinance; sends spay/neuter penalties to public safety committee
Summary
On first reading, Laurens County Council approved ordinance 1011 — targeting repeat offenders, unleashed and dangerous animals with spay/neuter and enforcement measures — and referred the measure to the public safety committee to draft penalty and fee language.
Laurens County Council gave first reading June 8 to ordinance 1011, which would expand the county’s animal-control authority to require spay/neuter for repeat offenders, create penalties for dogs running at large and provide law-enforcement tools for animal-control officers. The ordinance passed first reading unanimously (6–0) and the council referred it to the public safety committee for more detailed penalty and fee language.
Caroline, who runs the county animal-control shelter, told council the draft focuses on nuisance and irresponsible owners and is intended to reduce shelter intake rather than impose burdens on responsible pet owners. “It’s just a spay and neuter ordinance for repeated offenders … it’s not a target for responsible pet owners and their pets,” Caroline said, noting the county now has a low-cost spay-and-neuter option offered by the Laurens County Humane Society.
Several council members asked the county attorney to ensure penalty amounts and fee references are explicitly stated in the ordinance rather than delegated to later administrative rule-making; they also asked drafters to avoid language that would inadvertently penalize well-behaved farm dogs on private property. Councilman Brownley and others urged careful drafting to distinguish nuisance animals from working or property-confined animals.
The public-safety committee will review the draft and return recommended penalty schedules and fee references before council considers second reading.
