Title
Ordinance - An Ordinance of the City of Mansfield, Texas, Amending Chapter 90 "Animal Control" of Title IX "General Regulations" of the Code of Mansfield, Texas, to Amend Sections 90.01, 90.55, 90.57, 90.59, 90.60, and 90.62 Regarding Dangerous Animals, Determinations, Requirements, Appeals, and Hearings Add Section 90.66 "Registration" and Section 90.67 "Declassification of Level 1, 2, or 3 Dangerous Dog," and Renumber Sections; Providing That This Ordinance Shall Be Cumulative of All Ordinances; Providing a Severability Clause; Providing a Penalty for Violations Hereof; Providing for Publication in the Official Newspaper as Required By Law; and Providing an Effective Date
Requested Action
Approval of Proposed Ordinance Amendments.
Recommendation
Approval of Proposed Ordinance Amendments.
Description/History
On December 9, 2024, the Code of Ordinances Chapter 90 “Animal Control” was overhauled. Previously, this code had not been revised since August 26, 2019. The December revisions of Chapter 90 reflected needed changes to allow the Animal Care and Control Department to address animal related problems in the City of Mansfield and updated parts of the Ordinance that were outdated due to State law changes and the continued growth of the City of Mansfield. Additionally, in July 2021, the Animal Care and Control Department was moved from the Mansfield Police Department and re-housed under the Department of Regulatory Compliance. The provisions regarding the investigation, Animal Control determination, hearing, appeal, and Municipal Court determination on Dangerous Dogs were expanded to provide a clear civil due process procedure for violations.
A final update is proposed to now expand the Dangerous Dog definition to include incidents of attacks on domestic animals and livestock, as opposed to only attacks on persons. With this, a Level Classification system is proposed that will make clear the criteria with which a classification will be made, and the corresponding requirements for animals with their designated class. The classification system also provides for declassification procedures, allowing a reduction on requirements for animals that have continued without further incident or violations.
Justification
The proposed ordinance revision allows for improvement in the Dangerous Dog definition and provides for more detail in the outlined processes. With these revisions, the Animal Care and Control Department will be better able to address animal related issues and protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents, visitors, and animals within the City of Mansfield.
Funding Source
N/A
Prepared By
Nicolette Ricciuti, Director of Regulatory Compliance
Department of Regulatory Compliance