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Task force debates scope of proposed animal ordinance, urges district-specific approach
Summary
At a Jan. 29 meeting the Anaconda Deer Lodge County Domestic Animal Task Force weighed whether a proposed animal ordinance should apply countywide or be tailored by development and zoning districts, with members urging separate rules for urban and rural areas and a meeting with the County Attorney for legal edits.
The Anaconda Deer Lodge County Domestic Animal Task Force on Jan. 29 considered whether a proposed county animal ordinance should be applied uniformly or tailored to distinct development districts and lot-size classifications. Task force members said maps of development overlays and zoning patterns show clear differences between urban and rural areas that warrant different rules.
Task force member Vern Tuss provided printed development-district maps, which he said are available on the county website, and Carl Hamming said overlays such as commission districts, fire districts and development districts show a natural separation between the county's urban area (commonly called the city of Anaconda) and the surrounding rural landscape. "The development district map is our ‘zoning map' in a sense," Hamming said, arguing that rural and urban areas should be treated differently under any ordinance.
Commissioner Steve Gates cautioned against making extensive edits without legal review because the draft was prepared by a previous County Attorney; members agreed to seek initial edits from the current County Attorney to ensure terminology and enforcement provisions are legally sound. The group also noted the draft appears to focus primarily on residential properties; task force members were asked to bring proposals for classification schemes—by urban/rural designation or lot-size thresholds—to the next meeting.
Members discussed practices in other counties that limit animal counts based on property size and noted that some residents own multiple adjacent parcels, which can affect lot-size calculations. The group agreed to clarify how property classification would be applied in the ordinance before finalizing countywide language.
Chairman Jeffrey Miles requested placement on the County Commission agenda for Feb. 4 to give an initial report on the task force's work. The task force also set its next meeting for Feb. 26 at 6:00 p.m. to continue developing classification proposals and to review County Attorney guidance.
