South Lynn Street couple addresses city about dog problem

A complaint by an Onaway couple regarding loose dogs within the city limits is expected to be taken to the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners to see if there is something can be done to improve the patrol hours of the animal control officer on the streets of Onaway.

During the public comment period of Monday?s Onaway City Commission meeting Pat and Cheryl Kondratko expressed their concern about neighborhood dogs running through the yard of their South Lynn Street home, and the precautionary measures they have to take to keep their children safe.

?We have dogs constantly in our yard,? said Pat Kondratko. Cheryl added that she does not believe it is right that they have to keep their children inside because dog owners will not take care of their animals. Pat asked if there is any ordinance on the books in Onaway to address the dog problem.

CITY MANAGER Joe Hefele, who had talked with the couple earlier in the day at city hall, said the city is not in a financial position to purchase a truck or the equipment to house animals and that the county animal control officer handles the animal complaints in Onaway.

?It is not going to happen anytime soon,? Hefele said. ?Everybody pays their taxes. A portion of your tax bill goes to the city, a portion of your tax bill goes to the school, and a portion of the tax bill goes to the county. The county is the dog catcher.? But part of the problem is the animal control officer employed by the Presque Isle County Sheriff?s Department also serves as a court officer, Hefele said.

With a busy court docket this week, Hefele did not expect the animal control officer to be out before Thursday. A bench trial went into a second delay Thursday, delaying further the services. ?We just called the dispatcher today about those dogs, and have called them about other dogs. It would be nice to see him over here more,? said Hefele Monday.

Commissioner Brad Porter said he has a problem with at least three dogs that run through his yard. The city manager said the complaint needed to be brought before the county commission, to see if there could be some changes in the schedule, and even commit the officer to one day a week in Onaway.

COMMISSIONER BERNIE SCHMELTZER said the first step for the Kondratkos would be to contact District 1 commissioner Bob Schell, who represents the City of Onaway.

The county recently adopted an animal control ordinance requiring dog owners to purchase licenses.

?They all have to be licensed,? said Perkins. ?It is a pretty good fine.?

Pat said he was not able to get close enough to see the license, but he may know whom the owners are. City attorney Mike Vogler said ?If you know who the dog belonged to and they were unlicensed I would make a complaint to sheriff?s department.?

The Kondratkos say they have contacted the Onaway Police Department and were told that if an officer does not see the violation then there is nothing that can be done.

Pat said he wanted to bring it to the city?s attention and this was just their first step in the process and that they planned on taking the complaint to the county.

The couple also expressed their concern about people driving at excessive speeds on South Lynn Street, especially in the time shortly after school gets out, and if there was more money in the budget to hire additional officers for the city police department.

Mayor Gary Wregglesworth said that is something that will be looked at when the budget gets better. He said the state has cut revenue sharing six years in a row. That trend may end, but there are no guarantees coming from Lansing.

Wregglesworth said the information would be passed along to police chief James Gibson about keeping an eye on that area.

IN OTHER business

: ? Lori Crowe was granted a special use permit that would allow her to operate a small photo studio out of her home at 20736 Shaw Street.

? The new plow truck was picked up Monday and immediately was put too work grading alleys. ?It is a massive improvement over the undependable 20-year-old International,? Hefele said. The city has submitted a pre-application to the United States Department of Agriculture-Rural Development for a second plow truck.

The new police car arrived April 13. The electrical components from the old vehicle were to be installed in the new vehicle by State Electronics.

? The commission gave its approval to Onaway Area Ambulance, which would like to use the East Industrial Park Drive for a training exercise May 6. They will block the road off to perform an exercise simulating the conditions of a mass casualty automobile accident.

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