04-28-14 Council Agenda & Packet

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Oliver J. Davis President Derek D. Dieter Vice- President Valerie Schey Chairperson, Committee of the Whole Tim Scott First District Henry Davis, Jr. Second District Valerie Schey Third District Fred Ferlic Fourth District David Varner Fifth District Oliver J. Davis Sixth District City of South Bend Common Council 441 County -City Building • 227 W. Jefferson Blvd South Bend, Indiana 46601 -1830 (574) 235 -9321 Fax (574) 235 -9173 http: / /www.southbendin.gov February 16, 2014 Council Vice President Derek Dieter, Committee Chairman Health and Public Safety Committee South Bend Common Council County / City Building South Bend, IN 46601 Dear Committee Chairman Dieter, I am delighted to present to you a significant update to our City's municipal code. In seeking excellence in all that we do, it is imperative that we routinely evaluate our City's policies, protocols and programs to ensure the highest level of service as well as the adoption and implementation of evidence based best practices. Recognizing that an estimated 67% of our City's residents are pet owners, policies governing animal care and control are a concern for a majority of our residents. As such, a special committee of the South Bend Common Council was formed last March to conduct a thoughtful and through evaluation of Chapter 5 of our municipal code. After 11 months, countless meetings and hundreds of hours, the members Derek D. Dieter , of the South Bend Animal Care and Control Special Committee (SBAC3) At Large are pleased to submit for your consideration a new Chapter 5 entitled, Gavin Ferlic "Responsible Animal and Pet Ownership Care and Control Regulations." At Large There were three guiding principles directing the work of the SBAC3 Committee. First was the question, "Have our current ordinances made Karen L. White our community safer ?" Second was the question, "Have our ordinance At Large improved the quality of life in our neighborhoods ?" Finally, the committee asked, "Are there opportunities for improvement of our current ordinance ?" To address these questions, the SBAC3 Committee reviewed local policy and outcome data relative to other cities across the state and nation. Upon examination, the committee found a number of policy models that, if adopted, could serve our City's residents well in terms of improved public safety, improved quality of life and higher standards for the enforcement of animal care and control laws.