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SALEM -- The rules and ordinance committee Tuesday forwarded two proposed modifications to city ordinances for review.
The proposed changes, which were both unanimously forwarded to City Law Director Brooke Zellers for review prior to consideration by the city council, concern the city's dog and ambulance ordinances, respectively.
If approved by council, the proposed change to the dog ordinance will modify the language of the section of the ordinance regarding dangerous or vicious dogs killing another domestic animal. Councilman and Committee Chairman Jeff Stockman explained that in the current version of the ordinance, the language specifies the killing of another dog, and only another dog, and that the proposed language would encompass any pet.
"In the language it specifically says, 'kills another dog.' I would like that changed to companion animal in case the dog attacks a cat, or a rabbit, or anything else," said Stockman
Stockman also said that the change would add companion animal to the list of the ordinance's defined terms and would be defined as "any animal that is kept by an individual for the purpose of companionship or support."
This comes in the wake of a case of a dangerous dog within city limits, which Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey and City Health Commissioner Alanna Hughes have previously discussed at length in the Salem Board of Health's September and August meetings. In the September meeting Dickey explained that the dog in question had entered a resident's garage while at large and "destroyed their cat," and that officers "couldn't do anything about it" due to the ordinance language specifying dogs.
The proposed change to the city's ambulance ordinance would see a modification to the membership of the ambulance review board, which oversees any penalties against an ambulance company for not properly fulfilling their duty as outlined in the ordinance, as well as any questions, grievances, issues or appeals in relation to the ordinance.
Currently the board is comprised of City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello, Police Chief J.T. Panezott and Fire Chief Scott Mason; under the proposed alterations, the service safety director would remain on the board, while the remaining positions were filled by an individual appointed by Dickey, and confirmed by council, and the council member chairing the safety committee, which would currently be Councilman Steve Faber.
Councilman Andrew Null questioned if Panezott and Mason were aware of the proposed change and in favor, and Stockman said that they had suggested the change.