A few weeks ago we told you about Alcoa's proposed new animal control ordinance and some concerns we had about it. We put our concerns in a letter to Alcoa City Manager Mark Johnson and suggested some possible changes.

Last week Mr. Johnson sent a letter saying he had reviewed our concerns and would look in to it. Earlier this week, Capt. Phillip Dunn of the Alcoa PD called to discuss the specifics with the Mrs. He has put a lot of effort into the new ordinance and has reviewed similar laws from all over the state. He was very receptive and open to suggestions.

Yesterday we got another letter from City Manager Mark Johnson and there's good news: the City of Alcoa has agreed to most of the changes we suggested, with a few compromises negotiated between Capt. Dunn and the Mrs.

Specifically:

• A warrant will be required for right of entry for inspection unless the owner consents or there is a violation in plain view.
• A grandfather clause will be included in the new restriction of four animals per household.
• The number of days for impoundment will be increased to five working days for unlicensed animals and seven working days for licensed animals.

Mr. Johnson noted that animals taken to the shelter are already scanned for microchips, but goes on to say: "I inquired to the benefits and costs of outfitting our officers so they would be available in the field. As a result, I am authorizing the purchase of two scanners for use by the city's officers. Hopefully, the officers can identify the owners of the animal and return it immediately preventing an animal from being taken to the shelter."

Details of the changes are covered in Mr. Johnson's letter, copy here (PDF format).

Alcoa City Commission's second reading of the ordinance has been postponed until March 13th to allow time for making the changes. Unless you have other concerns, it probably isn't necessary to attend the meeting unless you just want to thank the City of Alcoa for listening.

We would like to sincerely thank Alcoa City Manager Mark Johnson and Alcoa PD Capt. Phillip Dunn for taking the time to review our concerns and adopt these changes. It's nice to live in a place where local government is responsive and listens to its citizens.