Animal control update gets OK
Rules place limits on cats, chickens, other animals
After a full 12 months of discussion and debate, a new animal control code is now on the books in North Wales.
“It’s actually a year, this meeting, believe it or not,” Borough Manager Christine Hart said.
Last May, borough residents began asking if any rules were in place for those interested in keeping chickens in their yards, and others raised concerns about stray cats in a local neighborhood.
Since then, staff and the borough’s solicitor have discussed, proposed, and revised an update to Chapter 90 of the borough code, which was originally adopted in 1978 to spell out rules and regulations regarding animals. The latest version, as discussed in April and again earlier this month, allows chickens and ducks to be kept on residential properties, but only if the property has an area of 5,000 square feet or more, with no more than four allowed on properties smaller than 1 acre. Renters must have written permission from their landlord to keep and maintain chickens or ducks, and all birds must be kept in a shelter with a roof and at least three enclosed sides, which must have at least 4 square feet per bird and must be kept at least 5 feet from any
property line, 10 feet from any dwelling, and no closer to a neighbor than to the owner’s dwelling.
Regarding feral cats, the new code says it “shall be unlawful for any person to feed feral cats” unless they register the colony with an animal control officer and make sure the cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and cared for. The code also prohibits roosters and clarifies the definition of “owner” by stating that anyone who feeds or otherwise allows animals to stay on their property becomes responsible, along with another change pointed out during council’s previous meeting.
“Revisions were made as of the last meeting. I think we were down to one, where the word ‘township’ was replaced by ‘borough,’”
Hart said.
Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the new code, with jokes about how long the process took.
“It’s called ‘careful deliberation,’” Councilman Sal Amato said.
“We used to say, good things are worth waiting for,” Mayor Greg D’Angelo added.
Also discussed at length were two requests from local businesses for certificates of appropriateness for upcoming projects. The owner of a massage parlor at 104 S. Main St. has requested permission to install a neon sign in the front window, Hart said, and council discussed at length whether to approve or deny a certificate for a sign containing neon letters.
“It’s not your job to decide what the sign says. It’s the materials you’re looking at, not the verbiage — you have the option to either
approve or deny the certificate of appropriateness,” Hart said.
After a lengthy discussion, council voted against approving the certificate of appropriateness, and council members suggested the business owner look into different types of designs.
Council did vote to approve a certificate of appropriateness for a different property, at 113 S. Third St., where Hart said the owner is planning to take off the roof from a series of single-story storage units, with a plan to ultimately demolish that part of the building.
Hart also gave council an update on the borough’s Hometown Heroes banner program, which will allow local residents to buy or sponsor decorative banners showing photos of local veterans and the time they served in various branches of the military. That program is being coordinated by Lansdale resident Anne
Henning Scheuring, who organized a similar program to display more than 400 veteran banners in Lansdale last year.
Applications for the North Wales banner program are now being accepted, Hart said, but borough staff have already received four inquiries from potential banner sponsors in Upper Gwynedd instead of North Wales.
Talks have begun with Upper Gwynedd officials about including banners in part of that township, Hart said, and in the meantime those interested in taking part can contact Scheuring at 215-855-1743 or heroes@ verizon.net.