COM 0022.073 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I ~ From Fred }-{-olSc.l~ u h Hawaii County Animal Control -Comedy or Tragedy?, By Richard Hoeflinger u, _ Hawaii County is currently wrestling with an attempt to amend Chapter,4 of the County Code titled "Animals". In so doing, it has opened a can of worms that.. "~s almost every island faction against every other. The code revision is known as Coriht~'8111 No. 4, and it is currently in its 6`h draft, with Draft 7 looming on the horizon. No one appears happy with the result. So, what is it all about? Reading through Bi114's voluminous pages of incoherent gobbledygook is akin to undergoing a root canal. But as one wades through this repetitive tome, it becomes clear that it is an anti dog bill, prepared by persons who have little knowledge of animal behavior. Bill 4 was introduced by a Council Member who claims his office has received "hundreds" of complaints of noisy dogs. (A citizen request for a copy of the complaints remains unanswered.) The bill was on a fast track through the Council until island hunters learned of some of its provisions -such as a 500 percent increase in dog license fees -and demanded public hearings. Four hearings were subsequently held in Hilo, Ocean View, Kona, and Waimea. The results were so contentious, that two additional community discussions were held in Keaau and Waimea. Community opinien strongly favored scrapping the bill and starting over. As the worms were untangled, the cast of chazacters associated with this production emerged. In a lead role is the bill's sponsor, a Don Quixote-esque Councilman, engaged in his life mission to turn the Island of Hawaii into a socialist utopia. It is probably no coincidence that this individual is a cat owner, and displays an animus toward dogs. Playing a major part in writing the ordinance is a likeable and well meaning Deputy Prosecutor. His major fault is that he speaks English as a second language. His primary tongue is Legalese, a language that maximizes the number of words employed in any thought, while minimizing coherence artd comprehension. Draft 5 of Bill 4 fills 13 pages, with the term "dog" alone appearing 183 times. Den Mother for the production is the le<rder of a citizen volunteer organization whose goal is to seek solutions to a variety of island problems. The organization's "Animal Control Task Force" identified dogs as a priority problem, and its influence on the ordinance reflects the organization members' predominately suburban lifestyle and limited knowledge of animals. Then we have the Hawaii Island Humane Society, which holds the current contract for county animal control, and is likely salivating over the empire it would oversee if the amended ordinance is passed. A significant statutory change would place noisy dog enforcement under the contract animal control agency. It is currently the responsibility of ~l Comm. No. Z t. Ref. To: Ref. Dote