Ordinance No. 2007-04

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND OF CHAPTER V OF THE GENERAL ORDINANCES OF THE TOWNSHIP OF WANTAGE ENTITLED “LICENSING OF DOGS”

BE IT ORDAINED by the Township Committee of the Township of Wantage that certain Sections of Chapter 5 of the General Ordinances of the Township of Wantage, being the Chapter entitled “Licensing of Dogs” being in conflict with certain State Statutes are hereby amended as follows:

Section 1. Section 5-3.8 shall be deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:
Canvass of Dogs in Municipality; Report. The Animal Control Officer shall, either annually or biennially, at the direction of the governing body, cause a canvass to be made of all dogs owned, kept or harbored within the limits the Township and shall report, on or before September 1 of the year in which the census is taken, to the municipal clerk or other person designated to license dogs in the municipality and to the local board of health, and to the State Department of Health the result thereof, setting forth in separate columns the names and addresses of persons owning, keeping or harboring unlicensed dogs, the number of unlicensed dogs owned, kept or harbored by each of said persons, together with a complete description of each of said unlicensed dogs.

Section 2. Section 5-4.2(7) is hereby revised to read as follows:
Any dog declared vicious or potentially dangerous as determined by the Municipal Court.

Section 3. Section 5-4.8 is hereby revised to read as follows: Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dogs. If the Municipal Court shall determine, after a hearing, that a dog impounded in accordance with Section 5-4.2is declared “vicious” or “potentially dangerous”, the disposition of said dog shall be controlled by relevant State Law.

Section 4.  Severability. If any provision of this ordinance or the application of this ordinance to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the remainder of this ordinance shall not be affected and shall remain in full force and effect. 

Section 5.  Repealer. All ordinances or parts of ordinances or resolutions inconsistent or in opposition to the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed in their entirety. 

Section 6.  Effective Date. This ordinance shall take effect after publication and passage according to law.

______________________________
William De Boer, Mayor

NOTICE
TAKE NOTICE that the above entitled ordinance was introduced at a regular meeting of the Mayor and Township Committee of the Township of Wantage, County of Sussex, New Jersey, held on January 25, 2007, and will be considered for final passage after public hearing at a regular meeting of the Mayor and Township Committee to be held on February 8, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building, Route 23, Wantage, New Jersey.  During the preceding week, copies of the ordinance will be made available at the Clerk's office in the Municipal Building to members of the general public.

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James R. Doherty, Administrator/Clerk