Board adopts order denying pit-bull variance for 219 Easttown Drive

The Board adopted a written order denying a variance request by Nicole Hinkley to keep two pit-bull-mix dogs at 219 Easttown Drive.

City counsel read a formal order that cited Chapter 14, Section 4-71 of the city code and the variance procedure in Section 14-71(b). The order recited the application's facts: the applicant named the dogs Ghost (about 10 years old) and Jackson (about 2 years old), submitted medical documentation identifying the animals as emotional-support animals, and provided homeowner's liability insurance with Allstate. The order also incorporated a police inspection prepared by Chief Joseph French that identified vulnerabilities in the fencing and a tie-out stake, and it noted that members of the public submitted comments and a petition both for and against the application.

After reviewing the materials, the order concluded the applicant had not met the ordinance's required secure enclosure and physical requirements, that the presence of two pit-bull-mix dogs increased potential safety risk, and that allowing the request as submitted would undermine the ordinance's safety protections. The order recommended denying the application as premature and, to the extent it was framed as an accommodation request, unreasonable.

Alderman (S10) moved to adopt the order and the motion was seconded and approved by the Board; the presiding officer recorded the result as 7-0 in favor of denial. The order directs the City Clerk to provide a copy to the applicant and states the City will continue the interactive process if the applicant submits a new application with the required documentation.