ANIMAL ORDINANCE UPDATE AND PROGRAM CHANGES

Since 1999, the Resource Management Agency, Environmental Health Services Department, and its Animal Control Division have been working with the Kern County Animal Control Task Force to revise the Animal Ordinances and to make program changes.

During 24 meetings, the 13 Task Force members have spent over 60 hours analyzing current law and our Animal Control program.  The result of that effort has been to suggest changes to the Animal ordinance and our Animal Control Services operations to better serve the people and animals of Kern County.  Those changes served as the basis for seven Public Workshops held in Bakersfield, Frazier Park, Inyokern, Kern River Valley, Mojave, Taft, and Tehachapi.

After receiving public comments at the Public Workshops, through fax, e-mail, and telephone calls, the Task Force met and revised the recommended ordinance changes to incorporate the comments received from the public.  After that review, the revised changes were added to a report that was prepared by staff to included the issues acted upon by the Animal Control Task Force.

Additional suggestions were incorporated after two Board of Supervisors public hearings, one on proposed Zoning ordinance amendments to limit the number of permitted dogs in residential zone districts and another on a zone change request to allow an exotic animal compound.  The Board of Supervisors chose to not approve either request.

The work of the Task Force is available to the public and is contained in The Animal Control Task Force Report. This Report and the related Board letter were recommended for consideration and action by the Board of Supervisors at a noticed public hearing held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 12, 2002 at the Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1115 Truxtun Avenue in Bakersfield. At that meeting, the Board asked for additional changes to the ordinances and those changes are addressed in the Board letter and amended ordinances. On November 26, 2002 after another public hearing, the Board of Supervisors approved the changes and on December 3, 2002, the Board enacted the ordinance amendments.

Please contact Matthew Constantine, Animal Control Services Manager, at 661/868-7102, 800/552-5376, or at mattc@co.kern.ca.us for more information about this project, to obtain a printed copy of the report, or to provide comments.

Page Content Updated:  12-10-02