MITCHELL – During the Mitchell City Council meeting Monday night, members voted to hire a person to enforce the animal control ordinances.
The Mitchell city ordinance requires all dogs and cats to be on a leash as a protective measure to help address issues the town has been experiencing with feral cats and dogs running loose. The city will also enforce all other animal control ordinances.
The individual hired would be part-time, working no more than 20 hours per week. To entice applicants, the position will be paid $15/hour, in comparison to the current minimum wage of $10/hour. City attorney Byron Steele will be drafting an ordinance to allow this person to be able to act on these matters.
The city is also looking into the possibility of acquiring a new garbage truck that has an automated arm to pick up trash cans. Currently, the street department has three members picking up trash throughout the week.
This change would require one person to operate the vehicle and pick up trash, freeing up other employees to help with the animal control problem if necessary. This is only preliminary as city officials continue to gather more information.
