Resident doesn't want Wartrace going to the dogs

Amy Mitchell addresses the Wartace Board of Mayor and Aldermen about dogs running loose near her Knob Creek Road home. (T-G Photo by Mary Reeves) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Amy Mitchell, raised in Wartrace, loves her hometown and her neighborhood. She likes to walk and jog in her reviving neighborhood on Knob Creek Road. What she doesn't like are the dogs.

"They run loose," she said after the Monday night meeting of the Wartrace Board of Mayor and Aldermen. "The owners don't keep them on a leash or in the house. When you try to jog or walk, they're right there, yipping or nipping at your ankles."

During the meeting, she asked the board if they were following the leash law passed by the city, including issuing citations and fines to those who let their dogs run free. Her biggest concern, she said, was the growing number of small children in the neighborhood.

"We have children playing in almost every yard," she said.

The town's policy, said Gallagher, is to call the county to pick up any dogs without collars, but not the ones belonging to someone. Those owners, he said, are given a verbal warning first, then a written complaint. That citation can lead to a hearing and a $50 fine, but the problem, city judge Ginger Shofner told the aldermen, is that the complainant doesn't show up for court and the case is dismissed.

If the dog owner receives another citation, he can face the possibility of more fines, having the dog impounded or even destroyed, said Gallagher.

The mayor also added that Wartrace recently passed a pit bull ordinance that requires more stringent requirements for owners, including insurance.

Mitchell said she had been told the town was reluctant to call the county to pick up strays because, at $80 an animal, it was "too expensive."

She told the board she had written two letters about the dogs in the neighborhood, but was not told of the complaint forms. She picked one up from the mayor before she left.

"I will now utilize this form," she said. "My goal isn't to take anyone's dogs away. My goal is to make people more responsible owners."

She pointed out that Wartrace could face liability by way of negligence if the town was not enforcing the dog ordinance. Mitchell said she knew of at least two adults who have been bitten by the dogs in the last 18 months.

Crystal Crowder, her sister, was also at the meeting, but she was there to talk about a different sort of nuisance -- the park. Crowder lives near it and has been disturbed by the amount of activity going on there after hours.

"It plainly states the park is open from sunrise to sunset," she said. "It gets very, very annoying when people are over there after dark."

Crowder said the park will be clean when she goes to bed, then trashed when she gets up in the morning. She said she has seen drivers "doing donuts" and otherwise vandalizing the property.

"They'll leave the water running in the bathrooms."

The board discussed locking the gates after dark, then reopening them early in the morning, and Police Chief Lee Groce said he would continue to patrol the area.

Wartrace city judge Ginger Bobo Shofner, left, swears in three aldermen at the Monday night meeting. From left are incumbents Thomas Hurt and Jean Gallagher and newcomer Scott Claxton. (T-G Photo by Mary Reeves) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

In other business, the board approved the resolution granting a work bid to Clanton Paving Co. of Shelbyville for the Tullahoma Utility Board, George Dickel, Haley and Lee Road waterline projects, pending final approval from the state.

Alderwoman Jean Gallagher reported for the tree committee, telling the board the 40 willow oaks ordered for the park were delivered but have not been planted yet because of the recent rain.

Three aldermen were sworn in Monday night: incumbents Jean Gallagher and Thomas Hurt, and newcomer Scott Claxton. Claxton won Roston Floyd's seat in the November election.

"I want to thank Roston for all the years of service to the town," said Mayor Gallagher. "He's been a level-headed and understanding presence and we would like to keep him involved as much as possible."

Floyd was first elected in 1980.

A work study session was planned for 7 p.m. Feb. 3 to bring everyone up to date on the town's projects and plans.