Danville approves animal chaining ordinance

Danville City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that will strictly limit the amount of time a pet can be chained outside, effective July 1, 2010.

Chaining will be banned altogether for sick or injured animals, animals under four months of age or when the outside temperature reaches — or falls below — freezing.

When chained outside, animals must have proper collars, halters or harnesses, and it cannot be tethered to a fixed point — the animal will have to be chained to a runner or swivel that will allow it greater movement.

Animals can also be kept in dog lots, or kennels.

Though Councilman Buddy Rawley was absent from the meeting, Mayor Sherman Saunders declared the vote unanimous. He said Rawley called him earlier in the day to express his support of the ordinance.

All members expressed their support of the ordinance, with Adam Tomer noting that he is “as proud to be voting on this as anything else” he has voted for in the three years he has been on City Council.

“This shows Danville is a progressive city,” Tomer said.

Paulette Dean, executive director of the Danville Area Humane Society, said she was thrilled with the unanimous vote.

“Mountains were moved in Danville, Virginia, tonight,” Dean said.

In the work session that followed the regular meeting, Deputy City Manager Joe King updated council members on American Municipal Power projects the city is participating in.

The coal-fired electric power plant the city originally agreed help build in Ohio — more than 100 communities had agreed to help build it — has been cancelled. The construction costs shot up 37 percent this month, and King said the situation is being investigated; litigation by AMP against the engineering and construction firm is likely.

Since Danville’s signed up for 100 megawatts of power from this plant — almost two-thirds of the city’s baseload requirement — City Council members expressed concern about how the city will fill those needs without the plant.

King said the site will still be used for power generation, but will likely be constructed to use natural gas or biofuels. He told City Council that it will take some time before the 129 members of the project and American Municipal Power will decide how the site will be used.

King also told City Council that AMP is planning a hydroelectric power project on the Ohio River, and said buying into that project could give the city another piece of owned power generation that would offer long-term price stabilization.

City Council will be kept up to date on plans for the site originally developed for coal-fired power, King said. The hydroelectric power generation project will come up for a vote at a future regular City Council meeting.