Council tees up leash vote — again

In an otherwise quiet meeting this week, the city council, with Mayor Joe Hardy absent due to attendance at the meeting of the Nevada League of Cities, with Mayor Pro Tem Sherri Jorgensen presiding teed up a possible vote on two of the most contentious items on the council’s plate in to past couple of years.

Again.

The issues at question are those of unleashed dogs in public spaces and the breeding of pets in Boulder City.

There is no guarantee that what is being proposed will actually be adopted. Council members have changed their positions on the city’s lax leash law and lack of an ordinance addressing permits for pet breeding in the past two years. Jorgensen has done a 180-degree turn on her position on the leash law twice since first joining the council in 2019.

The two possible new changes to BC law were both introduced this week and are scheduled to be discussed and potentially voted on at the next meeting, which is scheduled for Nov. 10. (Note that is not the typical second Tuesday. As the second Tuesday falls on Nov. 11, which is Veterans Day, the council voted to move the meeting to Monday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m.)

The leash law changes, if adopted, would be significant.

An addition to the current language would specify that a dog can only be off leash in a building or fenced yard or an area specifically designated by a resolution of the city council as being an off-leash area.

The real gist of it is the section of city code entitled Animals Running At Large.

Unlike any other jurisdiction in the state, Boulder City’s law has, for decades, had an exception to the leash law that allowed a dog to be off leash if it was under the “reasonable control” of an owner or custodian. Both Boulder City’s current police chief and the animal control supervisor who retired unexpectedly early this year have gone on record with the city council saying that the exception made the current leash law unenforceable.

The proposed changes would eliminate that exception. But the devil may be in the details. At least that has been the case in the past.

Earlier this year, it appeared that the council was ready —possibly on a 3-2 vote —to get rid of the control exception. That appeared to be the case until Jorgensen, who had spoken of the need to change the law just weeks prior, voted against the proposed changes.

The council agreed to hear the proposal again, only after staff brought them a list of “additional dog recreation options” per a city report.

At issue is really location .

Boulder City has two fenced-in dog parks already. Both of them, a city-constructed and grassy facility and the non-profit and privately-operated See Spot Run, a non-grassy fenced area in Veterans Memorial Park in the southwest corner of town.

The most vocal opponents of the change appear to be residents of the area surrounding City Hall where literally generations of homeowners have gathered to run their dogs off leash in Wilbur Square (aka Government Park) for decades. And Jorgensen, along with council members Cokie Booth and Denise Ashurst, have, in the past, sided with them over a majority of residents who want the law tightened up.

Now that the bill changing the actual leash law has been introduced — according to the staff report on the issue — city staff will, in addition to the proposed changes already introduced, provide a separate resolution that will designate off-leash areas that would work in conjunction with the changes to current leashing requirements.

The report does not specify where those areas would be. However, past discussions have included the possibility of designating certain hours in certain parks as available for running dogs off leash. Notably, Councilman Steve Walton has said in prior meetings that such an arrangement would be unworkable.

The breeding proposal appears to have more support and could pass easily. It will, if passed, substantially limit the circumstances under which pet breeding would be allowed in town and set up hefty fines for violators —up to $1,000 for third and subsequent offenses.

That proposed change to city code will also be discussed and may be voted on in the Nov. 10 meeting.