Call to remove cats clauses
North Otago: Pet bylaw discussed
WAITAKI Deputy Mayor Melanie Tavendale has tried to scrap a limit on the number of cats pet owners are permitted from proposed new rules for the district.
The Waitaki District Council’s draft general bylaw, designed to stop ‘‘various forms of nuisance’’, allows for three companion cats per rateable property. An exemption would be possible if cats were desexed, vaccinated, microchipped and registered.
However, at this week’s customer services committee meeting, Cr Tavendale called for a removal of four clauses from the draft bylaw, leaving only the council’s power to address issues with owners of cats deemed to be ‘‘a nuisance, injurious or hazardous’’.
Following the submissions process she now believed there were ‘‘a few holes’’ in the bylaw and alternative and ‘‘potentially more effective’’ nonregulatory means to achieve council’s goals for the rules for cat owners, she said.
She argued the estimated $35,000 cost expected for enforcement be used for education on cat ownership instead.
Cr Tavendale, who is the chairwoman of the committee, said enforcement itself could prove problematic.
She questioned how the controls the council had proposed would help to further the council’s stated intent of promoting a predator free New Zealand by 2050.
In addition, Local Government New Zealand had voted to adopt a policy to lobby the Government to adopt the final New Zealand National Cat Management Strategy while the council’s submissions process was still under way, she said.
The draft strategy calls for nationwide mandatory microchipping and registration of cats.
‘‘I don’t believe we’ve got the direction correct,’’ she said.
‘‘If we don’t do this well, we’re going to end up looking a little bit like idiots.’’
Removing the four clauses from the bylaw had been considered, but not implemented, at an earlier council workshop she had been unable to attend.
Cr Hugh Perkins said he disagreed with Cr Tavendale’s approach.
‘‘I’m not happy with this very substantial change coming forward now,’’ he said.
‘‘I think this is a pretty abrupt change to be presented at a committee meeting.’’
Further, he did ‘‘not buy the argument’’ that passing a bylaw that might not be enforced posed a reputational risk for the council.
‘‘There are a whole heap of bylaws that aren’t enforced, or are only enforced in exceptional circumstances,’’ he said.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher argued successfully for the matter to ‘‘lie on the table’’ until after a ‘‘proper discussion’’ at a future council workshop.
Council spokeswoman Alena Lynch said the general bylaw was not expected to be passed until December at the earliest.