NUISANCE LAW PROPOSED; COUNTY, NOW 1ST CLASS, WILL ENACT FIRST ORDINANCE

JACKSON -- The Cape Girardeau County Commission wants to put an end to nuisances.

In the first use of its newly acquired power to write ordinances, the commission is formulating a measure to allow the county to act on complaints of stray animals, littering, junk cars and other annoyances.

While such matters may seem trivial in the overall scheme of county government, Presiding County Commissioner Gerald Jones said they generate many of the complaint calls he receives. Currently the county has no power to address such complaints.

"We haven't adopted any other ordinance because this is the one we want to do first," Jones said.

When Cape Girardeau County achieved first-class status at the beginning of the year, it gained the power to create ordinances for unincorporated areas.

The commission heard testimony in its chambers at the County Administration Building Thursday concerning the first section of the proposed ordinance. That section will address stray animals.

Testifying were Assistant County Prosecuting Attorney Ian Sutherland, County Public Health Center Director Charlotte Craig and Jackson veterinarians Dr. Charles Cox and Dr. Wanda Pipkin.

Proposed is the creation of a position of county animal control officer. Jones said the commission had approached the city of Cape Girardeau about contracting with it for the services of its animal control division, but city officials were not interested.

Under the ordinance, the animal control officer would have the power to dispose of wounded animals and to impound stray animals if acting on a resident's complaint.

What the commission doesn't want, Jones said, is an officer on patrol rounding up any dogs that step foot on county roads. One reason people live in the country, he said, is so their dogs can have space to roam.

Cox said the ordinance should include a provision requiring the owners of impounded animals to have the animals vaccinated against rabies as a condition of getting the animal back. That could help prevent the spread of disease to other animals and the likelihood of a human being bitten by an infected animal.

Rabies is deadly to humans if not treated, and treatment is painful.

Sutherland said the circuit judge handling cases of pet owners cited for animals nuisance cases should have the power to waive penalties, which would include fines and jail time, if the owner agreed to take care of the problem.

Jones agreed.

"We don't really have in mind filling up jails with a bunch of farmers, but if the threat is there that will be enough," Jones said.

Cases of animal abuse and neglect are already covered by state criminal statutes.

"We don't really get that many animal abuse complaints," Sutherland said. "It has to be really egregious before we get it."

The nuisance abatement ordinance would pertain only to unincorporated areas of the county, unless incorporated areas entered into an agreement with the county for its animal control services.