Leaders to narrow scope of feeding ban

It’s back to the drawing board for a Mentor-on-theLake ordinance concerning “nuisance” animals.

The City Council Ordinance Committee is expected to amend the legislation that was on the May 23 agenda after discovering that it was more far-reaching than intended.

The proposal initially included language prohibiting purposely feeding pigeons, crows, blackbirds and other large, flocking, wild, nongame birds; feral and stray cats and dogs; squirrels, raccoons, groundhogs and deer; wild animals; abandoned animals and vermin.

There were exceptions for pets, licensed trappers and “qualified” feral cat colony caregivers under the supervision of an animal welfare organization registered with the city to promote a trap-neuter-return program.

In addition, it allowed for stationary bird and squirrel feeders as long as they were at least 5 feet from the property line and behind the house.

However, Committee Chairman Jim Lunder indicated that the proposed law was meant to focus on feral cats, following a complaint he received about a 20-cat colony.

“There was a misunderstanding with all of the other animals and, when it was caught, it was already on the agenda,” said Lunder, who took responsibility for the oversight.

The extraneous language was from a Willowick law used to help craft the legislation.

“For all of the months we as a committee worked on this I never caught it,” he said, adding that it was noticed by another committee member after the information was published in The News-Herald.

The committee will meet at 7 p.m., May 30, to work on the amendment.

At this week’s meeting, it was noted that the bird- and squirrel-feeding limitations would be hard to enforce.

“We want the residents to enjoy the birds and the bees, and not have to worry about a feeder being placed 5 feet from a boundary line, or only being able to place it in a back yard,” Council President Desirea Thompson said.

Below were the proposed definitions relating to cats:

• “Abandoned animal” is a “domesticated cat that an owner has forsaken entirely or neglected or refused to provide care and support.”

• “Animal welfare organization” means any charitable corporation whose purpose includes promotion of animal welfare and that has been granted 501c3 nonprofit status by the Internal Revenue Service, and which has registered with the city to operate within its boundaries.

• A “qualified caregiver” is any person who takes responsibility for the care and management of a city-registered stray feral cat colony.

• “Registration” means annual completion of a form provided by the city that documents the 501c3 status of an animal welfare organization that identifies the officers with their contact information, and that specifies the elements of its TNR program and how the program will be conducted within city boundaries.

Violators would be guilty of a minor misdemeanor for a first offense, a fourth-degree misdemeanor for the second offense and a thirddegree misdemeanor for a third or subsequent offense. A separate offense would be deemed committed each day on which a violation occurs.

“This isn’t an easy situation to try to regulate,” Mayor David Eva said, “but I believe through registering these cat colonies we can try to control the community cat population.”