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North Adams committee shortens impound period, moves dog-fee schedule to appendix
Summary
The codification subcommittee voted to shorten the impound period for stray animals from 10 days to 7 days, move fines and fee schedules for licenses and kennels into Appendix D, and revise dangerous-dog procedures to involve the police chief and the animal-control commission for appeals.
The North Adams City Codification Review Committee voted to change several parts of Chapter 27 (cats and dogs), including shortening the impound period for animals and moving fines and fees out of the ordinance text and into Appendix D. Committee members said the change is intended to make the ordinance consistent across enforcement and accounting functions and to simplify future fee updates.
"Change impound period from 10 days to 7 days," the committee adopted in a motion that passed by voice vote. The committee also agreed that fines and noncriminal dispositions belong under the city's fine schedule (Appendix D) rather than embedded in multiple sections of Chapter 27; staff and General Code were asked to rewrite the fee language and clean up duplicated references. The motion to change the impound period was carried unanimously in the meeting's recorded vote.
Committee members also revised the animal-control appeals process. The committee accepted edits replacing the generic "public safety commissioner" reference with "chief of police (or designee)" for investigation and clarified that hearings requested under the dangerous-dog provision will be conducted by the animal-control commission. The committee deleted language that conflicted with Mass General Laws that bar ordering the removal of a dangerous dog from the city where the owner resides.
"We want, like, fact checking of the animal-control officer — hearings requested pursuant to this section shall be conducted by the animal-control commission," a committee member said while proposing the appeal wording. The committee deferred detailed fee amounts and kennel rates to Appendix D and will return to finalize fees at a subsequent meeting.
