Title
ORDINANCE NO. O17-25
AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GLENDALE, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA, AMENDING THE CODE OF THE CITY OF GLENDALE, CHAPTER 6 (ANIMALS); AND SETTING FORTH AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
Staff Contact: Rick St. John, Police Chief
end
Purpose and Recommended Action
Recommendation [enter the recommendation here]
This is a request for City Council to waive reading beyond the title and adopt an ordinance amending the Code of the City of Glendale, Chapter 6 (Animals), adding Article III, Sections 6-26 through 6-29, relating to animal cruelty and neglect and animal seizure and related procedure.
Background
Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) ?13-2910(A) addresses animal cruelty and neglect, and A.R.S. ?13-4281 addresses animal seizures in cruelty and neglect cases and sets forth the process for notifications, forfeitures, bonds and hearings. While Arizona state laws address the issues, the laws are not as strong as they could be. Additionally, the state law process may be lengthy and it places the burden for costs related to animal care during the legal proceedings on cities and towns.
Under state law, animal owners accused of animal cruelty and neglect have 10 days to request a hearing, and the court has 15 days to schedule a hearing. After the hearing, the appeal process can take months, and the entire process may take up to 8 months. Meanwhile, the charges for care and treatment of the animals falls on the municipality. The City of Glendale, as well as other cities that have dealt with animal cruelty, neglect, and hoarding under existing state law continue to face enormous expense for animal care during legal proceedings. Additionally, because the involved animal(s) may not be released to the owner or offered for adoption until a resolution has been reached, the involved animal(s) may suffer ill-effects, as a lengthy stay in an unfamiliar environment can be taxing.
Although Glendale City Code Chapter 6 currently addresses several...
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