Animal code public hearing set for Tuesday
Nye County has been working on a slew of amendments to its animal regulations and after several months spent reviewing and adjusting county code, the new iteration of Title 6 is now set to be heard by the Nye County Commission.
A public hearing on Nye County Bill No 2024-09 is scheduled for the board’s next meeting, Tuesday, Dec. 17, where area residents will be able to voice their thoughts on the matter. However, some members of the public have expressed their belief that the bill is not nearly ready to be heard as they feel the amendments proposed need a lot more work before they can be incorporated into Nye County Code Title 6.
To start, the county is aiming to change the definitions portion of the code, adding several new terms, altering some and deleting others. The definition for “animal control supervisor”, for instance, is to be struck from the county code while “animal services” is to be added and used in place of “animal control” throughout the document. Other definitions to be included in the new code are terms such as “protective custody”, “quarantine”, “microchip identification” and definitions delineating terms related to veterinary care.
“Dangerous dog” is to be eliminated from the definition section, as is “vicious dog”. In the place of the latter, the new definition will be, “Vicious animal: any animal with bites, attempts to bite, attacks, attempts to attack or otherwise constitutes a physical threat to humans or domestic animals, except an animal which bites, attempts to bite, attacks, attempts to attack or otherwise threatens a person or animal unlawfully on the premises of its owner, or a person or animal which has provoked or teased that animal.” An exception for government-employed canines is included.
Section 6.06 has been cut in its entirety, in favor of moving the provisions therein to their own sections of the code and altering much of their language. One example is the proposed increase in the number of combined cats and dogs that can be kept on a residential property without a permit, which sits at five today and is suggested to be raised to 10. The new code would also place a limit on the number of multi-pet, commercial kennel and special conditions animal permits that can be issued, initially allowing for 48 such permits but stipulating that as current permits expire, the limit will diminish to a final maximum of 25 such permits.
There are numerous other suggested changes that will be addressed during the public hearing on Nye County Bill No. 2024-09. Those interested in viewing the proposed code amendments can visit the Meeting Center at NyeCountyNV.gov. The information is included with item #10 of the Nye County Commission’s Dec. 17 agenda.
The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Residents can attend in person in Pahrump or Tonopah as well as via teleconference, instructions for which are available on the agenda.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
Solar regulations back on the agenda
With much of Nye County's desert land prime for renewable energy development – namely large-scale commercial solar projects - the county has been striving to establish regulations for the booming industry and a public hearing on the proposed regulations took place earlier this month. However, after more than two hours of discussion, public comment and much questioning, the board made decision to continue that public hearing later in the month.
At the heart of the continuation seemed to be the recommended set-back for renewable energy projects, which Nye County Planning Director Brett Waggoner had suggested at one-quarter of a mile. Commissioners did not appear to feel this was a large enough buffer but Waggoner stressed that there must be some give-and-take between the county and developers if the county was to avoid lengthy court battles.
Now, the public hearing will resume during the commission's Tuesday, Dec. 17 meeting, set for 10 a.m.
