Dogs continue to hound Pine Hill's residents
By Arthur McLean Editor

Janice Flint told the Pine Hill City Council during its August meeting a harrowing tale of being surrounded by a half dozen aggressive dogs while on her walk near Depot Park.

"They came running across the field and surrounded me and my two dogs, nipping at them," she said. She went inside the depot station to get away from them and was forced to stay inside for several minutes before most of the dogs left.

She was finally able to make it to a friends house to call the police, she said.

Flint is one of several Pine Hill residents who have brought their concerns and complaints about dogs in the city to the council over the course of several months.

The experience led Flint to propose an animal control ordinance to the city. "Even though people don't want a leash law here, maybe we could have something simple for us," she said.

She presented the council with a proposal that would institute a series of fines that could be assessed to dog owners who let their dogs run free in the city limits.

Council member Roberta Jordan agreed that something was needed. "We need to do something about these dogs; it's gotten out of hand," she said.

City officials have been researching animal control ordinances, but have found most of them to be too involved for the city's small staff and budget.

Mayor Harry Mason agreed to give Flint's suggestion serious thought.

Police Chief John Brown reported to the council that residents in several areas of town have asked for school bus signs to be put up in light of traffic concerns. Brown also asked the city to renew its financial aid to the drug task force. The city gave the task force $1,000 in its last budget. "They do help us here," Brown said.

Brown also reported the collections of court ordered fines is running behind previous years and that the department was about to start aggressively working to collect those fines.

In other business, the council approved a resolution seeking a $40,000 grant to update the city's comprehensive plan. The plan has not been updated since it was drawn up in 1978.

The council also voted to have a new metal roof placed on city hall. The current roof is leaking. Estimates put the new roof at about $100,000.

The council still hasn't found a taker for the home in front of city hall. The city purchased the property to expand parking at city hall, but several offers to take the home away have fallen through.

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