County meetings can prove informative

As a citizen of the United States of America, we are given certain freedoms and liberties. All too often those things are taken for granted and neglected. One of these freedoms lies within our own community.

The Washington County Board of Supervisors holds a public meeting every second and fourth Tuesday of each month beginning at 7:00 p.m. These meetings are intended to conduct business while including the citizens of Washington County. The supervisors discuss current issues of importance and give the public an opportunity to respond.

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, the meeting had two main items on the agenda.

First, a new ordinance controlling dog barking was brought to the floor. This issue had been getting plenty of coverage since the session to discuss the ordinance had been postponed last month. As a result, an entire room full of people turned up to discuss the issue compared to the normal handful of attendees.

The new ordinance would pass into law a regulation on the nuisance of barking dogs. It would present the pet owner with a fine under two conditions: two neighbors from different households had to file a formal complaint and proof of the dogs barking continuously for 15 minutes had to be shown. In order to obtain that proof, neighbors could call either animal control officers or a police officer to the scene.

After initial public commentary, a separate speaking session was held in response to this ordinance. Citizens from all over the county took to the podium to address the seven board members. Paul Price, former member of the Board of Supervisors, spoke first in favor of the ordinance. It was because of his proposals that the ordinance had come about.

Few people spoke in favor of passing the ordinance into law because of their experiences within their own neighborhood, but the greater majority of the room had turned out to oppose the passing of the ordinance. Some mentioned that they had livestock protection or hunting dogs and they could not without harmful force stop their dogs from barking.

At the close of public commentary, Sheriff Fred Newman took to the podium to express his views. Taking from police reports and complaints within the last year, Newman said he could not support the ordinance. According to record, only 17 complaints had come into the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in regards to dog barking issues, but over 100 had been made about dogs roaming free in neighborhoods. Newman said the real problem lay within leash laws.

The board voted not to pass the ordinance into law.

The second issue of hot discussion at this meeting was the buying of a $7.5 million dollar building for county official use. The building currently houses Alpha Natural Resources. This comes shortly after an announcement of a cut in budget of the county schools by $5.8 million.

In order to pay for the new building, property taxes within the county will be increased starting possibly as early as 2012. Many members spoke in protest of the purchase of the new building, citing the current economic situation as a reason to postpone the purchase. Tax payers have already faced increases, and the increase to purchase this building would be laid on top of the existing taxes within the county. No official decision has been made in regards to the purchase of this building.

To find out when the meetings take place, where, and more about the supervisor for your district of the county, visit the Washington County Board of Supervisors website at www.washcova.com.

Filed Under: Local News • News