Marshville council discusses dog ordinance

By Steven Grandy
Staff Writer

Coping with vicious dogs and determining what to do with the Marshville Baptist Church were just some of the issues that the Marshville Town Council discussed at their recent meeting.

The meeting began with comments from Marshville resident Rusty Johnson. Johnson told the board that he was unhappy that the council has added items to the meeting agenda without the public having the chance to make their opinions known. In particular, Johnson complained that items would taken care of when the council met in closed chambers to discuss resumes for the vacant Town Administrator position. Johnson believed that the council “needs to be respectful to citizens.” Councilwoman Gail Kiker defended the town’s position, saying that emergencies do come up and sometimes decisions need to be made instantly. Kiker did not run for reelection.

Land Use Administrator Jana Finn presented her research on a new Vicious Dog Ordinance. Finn pointed out that the current ordinance has been on the books since 1984 and only carries a $15 fine. Finn looked into the Town of Edenton’s ordinance which bans specific breeds of dogs. Councilwoman Denise Whitley believes that there are issues of animal abuse in the town, specifically with how the dogs are kept. Whitley told the council that she has seen dogs tied to trees.

Councilwoman Margaret Bivens said she carries a pistol due to her neighbors having pit bulls. Bivens believes that if the dogs get loose, they will attack a child that is playing in the community. Bivens also thinks that dog fighting is an issue that is getting worse. Finn said that if the town adopts and passes an ordinance that is different than that of Union County, the town would have to provide their own animal control units. Mayor Franklin Deese believes that there is nothing wrong with the current rule and asked at one point, “Why are we here?” After 45 minutes of debate, the council decided to address the issue at a later meeting.

Linda Smosky from the Union County Council on Aging gave a presentation to the council. In her presentation Smosky told the council that Union County’s aging residents want to live in save, healthy affordable communities. Smosky’s presentation stated that they average Social Security check in 2007 was $813. The council did not take any further action following the presentation.

The town council tackled the issue of what to do with the currently vacant Marshville Baptist Church. Councilwoman Bivens tried to persuade other members to allow a consultant to attend a future meeting and discuss the town’s options with the building. However, the consultant would have cost the town $200. Since the church is already a designated historic site and is currently for sale, several members of the council believed that the town should let the sale process work itself out before any intervention. The council voted 4-1 to do nothing with the church, with Bivens being the lone “No” vote.

Finally the council decided whether or not to hold a Christmas party and where it should take place. After much debate, the council decided to hold the party at Hilltop in early December at a cost to be determined. Councilwoman Bivens expressed some disappointment that the town would choose to spend money on a Christmas party but not to have a consultant discuss options for the Marshville Baptist Church property. The Christmas party resolution did pass.

Staff writer Jennifer Jacobs also contributed reporting to this article.