Town report, new dog laws at town meeting

NORTH CANAAN — About 15 residents made short work of the annual town meeting agenda Dec. 13.Although the main reason for the annual meeting is to accept the report of the audit of town financial records, as well as the reports from town offices, the town report (which contains both) was not available. The Board of Finance is responsible for getting the report done in time. This is the second year it has been late, and the printer was blamed.When that agenda item came up, First Selectman Douglas Humes held up an unbound copy of the report, offering it to anyone who was interested. But the only response was a motion by finance member Frank Ghi to approve the town report, which was unanimously approved, sight unseen by most.Since then, the 47-page report was posted at www.northcanaan.org. It is comprised of reports from all local and regional agencies, organizations and schools, with the exception of the Planning and Zoning Commission and Inland Wetlands Commission, which did not submit reports.It includes other interesting looks at the town, including a report from the building official that 284 permits were issued, representing $640,608 in commercial construction, and more than $3.9 million in total construction, including one new home.The Douglas Library reported 150 new members, bringing the total membership to 977.A new town plow truck was also approved for purchase. The “fully loaded” Freightliner, at a cost of more than $161,000, will replace a 1994 Ford in the highway department fleet. The town will enter into a 5-year lease/purchase agreement.Voters also approved a $75,000 transfer from the Town Equipment, Capital Reserve Account to the Equipment Account and authorized the Board of Finance to secure additional funding as needed in order to buy the truck.A dog ordinance, proposed in response to dog attack incidents and ongoing issues of people not cleaning up after their pets, was approved. It requires owners or handlers to keep dogs on a leash or in an enclosure.It prohibits people from allowing dogs to defecate on public property, and requires the feces be cleaned up immediately if it does happen. Offenses will carry at least a $50 fine.It also prohibits dogs from public areas, including parks and recreation areas, except guide dogs. But the ordinance specifically defines them as dogs used to guide a blind person.When asked why the ordinance only specifies guide dogs for the blind, and discriminates against other types of service dogs, Humes said the ordinance was submitted by the town attorney. After some discussion, he agreed to consult with the attorney and propose changes as might be deemed appropriate.There are numerous other types of service dogs, whose handlers are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They include people with vision loss (not necessarily blind), mobility issues, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder. There are also medical alert dogs.