Holts Summit to fix issue with animal code

Re-adoption of city code planned

Tina Barnes, supervisor at the Sam and Daisy Grabb Animal Shelter, said that spring, summer and fall are all busy seasons for animal control. The Fulton shelter is now holding animals from Holts Summit as well.
Tina Barnes, supervisor at the Sam and Daisy Grabb Animal Shelter, said that spring, summer and fall are all busy seasons for animal control. The Fulton shelter is now holding animals from Holts Summit as well.

An important section of Holts Summit's animal code that was accidentally deleted last year is planned to be reinstated with the first read of an ordinance scheduled for the city's Board of Aldermen meeting Aug. 9.

The missing section creates a requirement for an animal disposition hearing when an animal has been seized due to animal abandonment or cruelty. Without that section, City Administrator Matt Harline said, Holts Summit law enforcement is "hamstrung," as a disposition hearing is an important part of the process in enforcing the animal code.

"When we seize an animal due to abandonment, cruelty, something like that - that's property," Harline said. " If we are going to adopt out or destroy an animal, we want to have a due process."

Harline said the section was "deleted inadvertently" when the city passed an ordinance amending the animal chapter of the city code to prohibit the abandonment of animals. The city official writing the ordinance accidentally left out the section when making the changes to the code, he said.

"One way or another, we left that part out, so we're trying to add that back in," Harline said. "We're going to - if somebody has misbehaved and we're going to take their animal - make sure there's a process to preserve due process."

The removed section reads: "When an animal is seized due to animal abandonment or cruelty to animals, an animal disposition hearing shall be held within or before (30) thirty days the animal was seized. A disposition hearing notice will be served to the accused. This notice can be hand delivered, mailed or placed on the residence in an attempt to serve. The animal may be put up for adoption after the ruling has been made for the animal (to) not be returned to the accused."

David Bandré, city attorney for Holts Summit, told the city's aldermen during their July meeting the section is important in protecting the city from claims of wrongdoing in handling residents' animals.

Holts Summit also plans to re-adopt all of its city codes into an entirely new structure before they are posted online around October or November. The city has contracted with legal document publisher Municode to add Holts Summit's codes to the company's online library, Harline said.

Other Missouri cities - including Fulton - have partnered with Municode to publish their codes.

"It's the standard anymore," Harline said. "If you don't have your code online where people can review it, you're really behind the times."

The contract with Municode costs around $25,000, Harline added, with additional maintenance costs.

Harline said the move should "increase transparency" and the new code structure Holts Summit plans to adopt will be better organized for residents - including the animal code moving from chapter 73 to chapter 8.

The Board of Aldermen likely will adopt the new code structure by its Sept. 13 meeting, Harline said.