Garner’s Town Council has asked a town committee to draft a new ordinance that would ban pet owners from leaving their dogs tied up without supervision.

The request is the first clear sign that Garner leaders intend to join other municipalities in the region in adopting new anti-tethering rules for dog owners.

The ban was requested this spring by some residents and members of Coalition to Unchain Dogs, a Triangle nonprofit group that builds free fenced pens for dog owners as an alternative to tying them up.

Tethering opponents believe a ban will curb a practice they say can cause health and behavioral problems. Left unattended, tethered dogs are likely to get tangled up on surrounding objects and potentially be injured, according to these groups.

Organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States deem the practice inhumane saying it causes dogs to become more anxious, depressed and aggressive; however, not everyone believes Garner needs the new rule.

Garner Police Department officials have said the town’s current animal cruelty rules adequately protect dogs by making it unlawful for people to subject any animals to conditions detrimental to their pets’ health or welfare.

Anti-tethering bans are a growing trend in the region. Orange and Durham counties as well as Raleigh, Clayton, Chapel Hill, Holly Springs and Knightdale have adopted some form of a ban.

GPD spokesman Chris Clayton said there have been few tethering calls reported to Garner’s animal control officer. Enforcing a new ordinance would unnecessarily increase the workload of the town’s lone animal control officer, Clayton said.

Recent publicity, rather than incidents, appears to be fueling discussion of changing Garner’s policy, Clayton said.

“It seems like this issue is coming to us as a result of what is happening in other municipalities in the area,” he said.

Garner’s current laws require tethers to be at least 15 feet or longer depending on the animal’s size.

Police say stipulation prevents the worst tethering cases; authorities can enforce other complaints that involve neglect or abuse of tethered animals through existing state and local laws.

But the ban’s supporters say unattended tethering needs to be scrapped entirely.

“Tethering itself is something that is detrimental to the health and welfare of these animals,” resident Donna Frieda said.

Unsupervised pets on tethers get wrapped around trees and other objects limiting their access to food, water or shelter, she said.

Frieda volunteered to assist the town’s animal control officer with administrative duties to help offset any increase in the enforcement activity associated with the ban.

Headed by Council members Gra Singleton and Kathy Behringer, the town’s Law and Finance Committee couldn’t decide on the matter when it first came up in April. They had asked the full board to weigh in and make a recommendation. On Tuesday, July 20 a majority said they would be in favor of starting the ban sometime next year.

Singleton referenced a similar proposal under discussion in Morrisville and said the ban would help Garner’s image as a pet-friendly place to potential newcomers.

“It sets a tone for future growth in town,” he said.

The Council has a number of options on how to construct the ban. Other places such as Durham and Chapel Hill have added requirements about minimum pen sizes. Raleigh and Orange County have time restrictions allowing unattended tethering up to three hours a day.

If the ban moves ahead, police have asked that the Council to ban unattended tethering altogether and that pens be at least 100 square feet for dogs weighing under 20 pounds and at least 200 square feet for larger dogs. Supervised tethering should still be allowed, Clayton suggested.

Whatever form the final law takes, it needs to be simple for citizens and for those who will enforce it, said Council member Buck Kennedy. He also backed the ban, though he says the issue is not an epidemic in Garner.

“If it is complicated, it delays and confuses both sides,” Kennedy said.

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Director of Public Works Paul Cox accepted the awards on the town’s behalf at the labor department’s Spring Safety Awards Banquet Sunday, June 11.

This is the 24th consecutive year the Planning Department has received this award.

The N.C. Department of Labor safety awards program recognizes private and public firms that achieve and maintain good safety records.

To qualify for an annual safety award, a firm must have had no fatalities during the calendar year at the site or location and have maintained an incidence rate at least 50 percent below the average for its particular industry group.

Garner’s tethering ordinance meeting moved to July

The town of Garner recently awarded its July 2010 Residential and Commercial Property of the Month awards to William and Ella Sharpless of 217 Creekchannel Court and John Adams, CPA, at 1266 Benson Road, respectively.

John Adams, Lisa McLaughlin and Johnathan Adams accepted the award on behalf of John Adams, CPA.

If you would like more information about the town of Garner’s Residential and Commercial Property Improvement Program, please contact Reginald Buie, neighborhood improvement manager, by e-mail at rbuie@garnernc.gov or by phone at 919-773-4446.

Garner leaders are trying a new approach to improving older neighborhoods in town, starting with two in North Garner.

THE GARNER CITIZEN

Last week, Town Hall began rolling out its South of Main Initiative, a coordinated effort across departments to improve residential property appearances as well as compliance with zoning rules and housing codes through proactive enforcement.

As part of the program, town staff will survey properties in downtown Garner between Main Street and Hwy 70 from Benson Road to New Rand Road, looking for violations ranging from junked cars in view to unsafe buildings.

Approved by the Town Council, the project will deploy town employees to the area to look for possible violations at properties before receiving any specific complaints, which is how staff normally handles issues such as businesses operating in residential zones and poor street lighting.

Local leaders are focusing on older neighborhoods, however, as part of larger efforts to prevent them from becoming blighted eyesores.

“Council has designated this area as one that needs attention,” Town Manager Hardin Watkins said.

Lined with narrow residential streets, the neighborhood consists of mostly older homes with some new dwellings sprinkled in. Renters are common, as are longtime residents, who have seen the area’s appearance decline over time as new development moved south of Hwy 70 and farther east in town.

As neighborhood organizations have atrophied, concerns have accumulated. Now, the area features a hodgepodge of houses, many with walls of painted cinder blocks or faded siding.

A proactive approach

Town leaders want to help residents turn the neighborhood around.

“We want to target areas that have not historically gotten attention,” Council member Buck Kennedy said.

In December, the Council adopted a similar strategy in nearby School Acres, another older neighborhood in town. Since then, police have increased patrols, engineers have secured new street lights and inspectors have repaired fences and towed vehicles.

The town has sent residents regular newsletters outlining progress on ongoing issues and asking residents to share concerns — anonymously if needed.

The proactive approach appears to be working. Police calls and overall complaints have dropped in the area since the program launched, says Reggie Buie, the town’s neighborhood improvement manager who is coordinating both projects.

Residents can expect to see the town move into South of Main later this year. Buie plans to reconvene the project’s team in coming months to look at specific issues there.

The town will keep a presence in School Acres while expanding the approach into other neighborhoods around town as needed, Watkins said.

“I think we will continue with this philosophy over time,” Watkins said

A handful of Council members rode with Watkins and Buie through the area July 9, looking at properties and making an initial list of concerns and items in possible violation of the town’s zoning or housing codes.

Properties with uncut grass, junked cars in backyards and a few broken windows were compiled by staff into a list of items to investigate that will grow as the town deploys more resources there.

One challenge in getting improvements made on problem properties is finding and working with owners who can make changes.

The area has a lot of renters. In some cases, though, owners live out of state or the property is tied up in an estate, which can complicate or delay work toward compliance. In other enforcement cases, the town has eventually ended up fining violators or starting litigation.

Town officials hope to avoid more lawsuits. They would rather residents improve their own property values and in the process boost the town’s collective appearance.

‘It makes everyone look bad’

Town leaders say for now the South of Main area is a good place to extend the new strategy: It is close to School Acres, and there is overlap in the kind of concerns.

Officials started with School Acres after getting a flood of complaints from residents around the neighborhood. Residents had concerns about crime, poorly lit streets and illegal businesses.

Months later, residents are pleased the town is taking an interest in its older neighborhoods.

Michelle Williams, 29, moved to School Acres two years ago; the neighborhood is an affordable option for younger families moving to town, she said. She believes it is good to see Garner taking steps to help preserve residents’ property values.

“It would be nice if the neighborhood didn’t turn into a renter’s club,” Williams said.

South of Main residents are open to the new strategy as well.

Patricia Moore, 66, has owned a home on Montague Street since 2000. She wants to see more street lights and more police patrols. She won’t mind if some junked cars see the business end of a tow truck.

“If someone next to you doesn’t clean up their place, it makes everyone look bad,” she said.

Town leaders have grasped this too.

South of Main is a central piece of Town Hall’s downtown development plans. Eventually, the town and other stakeholders hope the area will attract a mix of restored and redeveloped residential and commercial development, perhaps even the home of a future Town Hall.

Those plans, however, hinge on developers and others seeing the area as attractive for long-term investments.

Kennedy thinks these proactive enforcement efforts can help toward that goal as well.

“If [developers] see us taking an interest in this area,” he said, “they may look at buying down here.”

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The town’s director of human resources, Sheila Cain, recently earned certification as a senior professional in human resources. Only 14 percent of human resources professionals in the state have this certification.

The certification, awarded by the HR Certification Institute, signifies that Cain possesses the theoretical knowledge and practical experience in human resource management.

“Certification as a senior professional in human resources is a personal as well as professional accomplishment,” Cain said. “I am honored to join the dedicated HR professionals across the country who hold this certification.”

Cain began working with the town in 1993. She previously served as a personnel coordinator for a Raleigh area employment agency. She has more than 17 years experience in human resource management. Cain received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Meredith College in 1991.

The certification’s required examination includes 225 questions composed from over 1,800 possible human resources and employment law topics, with only a 52 percent pass rate by those taking the exam. The examination focuses on strategic management, human resource development, total rewards, employee and labor relations and risk management.

“Certification as a human resource professional clearly demonstrates a commitment to personal excellence and to the human resource profession,” said Mary Power, executive director of the HR Certification Institute.

Pine straw has worn out its welcome in Garner, but it won’t leave town altogether just yet.

COURTNEY FLAHERTY, GARNER CITIZEN

Local leaders have joined other cities and towns in the region in agreeing to ban the placement of pine straw and other highly flammable landscaping materials near apartment complexes and other commercial buildings in town.

Garner’s ban exempts single-family homes and townhomes and follows the adoption of similar restrictions in Apex, Cary, Knightdale, Morrisville and Raleigh.

New fire safety rules have been discussed in the wake of at least two major residential fires in Oak City over the last two years in which pine straw was identified as a contributing factor. Fire safety experts say the popular material is highly flammable and can quickly spread a fire between buildings.

The Garner ban would apply only to pine needles used for landscaping purposes, not those that collect naturally.

The ban also requires placing combustible landscaping at least 10 feet away from highly flammable building exteriors such as vinyl siding. Those who do not comply could face a fine of $50 along with other penalties.

Not so fast

But the ban is not yet official.

After nearly three months of research and discussion, Garner Council members were planning to put it into effect Feb. 1, 2011, allowing local users seven months to comply.

But at a meeting Tuesday, July 6, a local landlord requested more time so affected property owners could prepare for the rule change. George Rucker, owner of Dixie Construction Company, asked the Council to push back the start date to June.

Rucker said the extra time would help in establishing grass around his rental properties while finding a suitable alternative to pine needles.

“We just want a little more time to make things look nice,” Rucker said.

The Council agreed to give it to him; they plan to keep the Feb. 1 start date but will allow Rucker and other individual property owners to apply for a waiver if needed until June.

In their presentation to the Council, town staff shared a 2006 national study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology that showed burning pine straw spreads at a much faster rate than other commonly used landscaping materials — such as pine bark and cypress mulch.

Town leaders believe the ban will help reduce the public risk from a rapidly spreading fire.

“We’re just trying to make it a little safer,” said Council member Gra Singleton.

Rucker agrees that the ban will make properties safer but does not see the urgency of it.

“It is not like we’re having these fires all over the place. … You have one incident, it gets in the papers,  and everyone thinks they have to do something,” he said.

Rucker estimates that replacing pine straw on his affected properties will cost between $5,000 and $10,000 — an expense he plans to pass on to tenants.

Once in place, the ban will take some getting used to, he said.

“We grow our own [pine straw], so this is a big change.”

Singleton asked town staff to put together the ordinance earlier this spring. The added costs and adjustments to local property owners are worth it if it reduces the risk of a serious fire.

“You have to weigh the pros and cons. … We need to try to take a warning even though no one has been seriously hurt,” he said.

Town leaders structured the ban to apply only to multifamily dwellings because they said residents in single-family homes and town homes have greater control over  potential fire hazards on their properties.

For instance, landlords and property managers decide on the kind of landscaping material used around an apartment building, not residents, he said.

“In single-family you have a say [of what you use for landscaping], you know the danger exists. … It’s your choice to put it there. Multifamily … they don’t have that choice,” Singleton said.

The town is developing information to help property owners and the public better understand the new rules.

The talk of pine needles and quick burn rates has prompted Singleton to reconsider his own landscaping, though his home falls outside the ban. For now, he relies heavily on pine straw — though that may change.

“It makes you think,” he said.

BILL MIDDLETON, CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Bill and Martha Middleton read an issue of The Garner Citizen while they wait in line to be seated at Lambert’s “Home of the Throwed Rolls” in Foley, Ala.