Council updates ordinances for enforcement purposes

On behalf of the City of Sundance, the Crook County Sheriff’s Office is preparing to enforce a number of city ordinances, as directed by the council.

The council has been working towards this goal since last year, with the intent of having deputies enforce a select number of ordinances while leaving the civil ones to Public Works Director Mac Erickson as the city’s enforcement officer.

At last week’s meeting, the council was able to appoint Chris Ringer of Gillette as the city’s new municipal judge, signing an agreement for $175 per hour plus mileage. Filling this long-empty seat allows the city to begin once again enforcing its ordinances.

One notable issue at this time is the issue of animal complaints. Undersheriff Alex Jessen reported that the office has been receiving a number of calls recently – five in the last month, all for the same dog owner.

Mayor Paul Brooks pointed to an item on the evening’s agenda: a memorandum of understanding with Crook County Veterinary Services to act as the city pound.

“Sometimes it takes a bit of pain for people to come around,” he said.

According to this agreement, Crook County Veterinary Services will charge the city $25 per day per animal for a maximum of ten days.

This should not be an issue, pointed out Brooks, referring to the city’s ordinance regulating dogs. This ordinance states that any animal not claimed within three days that notice has been given it is impounded “may be put to death by police officers or other authorized personnel”.

According to Clerk-Treasurer Theresa Curren, Crook County Veterinary Services is not willing to fulfill this part of the ordinance. Employees or peace officers would be responsible for this task.

Due to a couple of questions about the wording of the contract, the council decided to table the issue for 30 days to ensure it is correct.

The council also reviewed its ordinance for dog ownership during the meeting. To assist with enforcement, Sheriff Jeff Hodge would like to see this amended to prevent residents from owning an “excessive amount” of dogs, said Brooks.

Public Works Director Mac Erickson noted that city ordinances define a premises in which there are more than five dogs as a kennel. This automatically prevents anyone in the residential part of town from owning more than five, he pointed out, because the city does not allow kennels to be located in the residential zones.

After consideration, the council passed a motion to allow no more than four dogs in one home in the residential zones and directed City Attorney Mark Hughes to update the ordinance.

Undersheriff Jessen also requested information regarding whether there is a curfew for the use of city parks. Clerk-Treasurer Theresa Curren stated that she believes a curfew remains on the books from many years ago and was never repealed and agreed to find that ordinance to assist the Sheriff’s Office.

This, said Jessen, will help deputies enforce the curfew and will also solve the issue of people camping in the parks.

Another issue for law enforcement this summer has been an increase in the number of transients coming through, which the council heard has led to a concurrent increase in the number of suspicious circumstances.

While some transients cause issues, others mind their business. The Sheriff’s Office continues to police this, particularly at the rest area.