By Alan Rusch

Ellsworth County I-R

WILSON — At Monday’s meeting of the Wilson City Council, approval was given to a motion to remove the breed-specific verbiage dealing with pit bull/pit bull mix breeds from Ordinance 782 and make a new ordinance that pertains to vicious dogs only.

Before the vote was taken, however, several in attendance at the meeting voiced their opinions.

Anne Piper asked the council to remove the breed-specific verbiage.

“I don’t feel the breed, or being a pit bull is anymore dangerous than any other dog,” Wilson Police Chief James Reagan said.

“To me, walking down the street having a German shepherd, which we allow, they charge,” council member Jeremy Hlad said.“If you ask any mail carrier, Chihuahuas are the ones that are going to get you. To your point, it’s not really the breed, it’s how the dog has been raised, stuff like that.”

In other business:

• Approval was given to Ordinance 880 which repealed and amended portions of Ordinance 729 pertaining to junked, wrecked, dismantled, inoperative, discarded and abandoned vehicles or parts thereof and motor vehicle nuisances within the city of Wilson.

• Dan Erdman asked the council if they consider themselves subject to the same rules and ordinances as the public.

“I expect an answer,” Erdman said.

“If you don’t have anything else to say, I’m going to move on to the next person,” Mayor Dan Taylor said.

“You’re not going to answer my question,” Erdman asked.

“I’m not planning on it, no,” Taylor said.

Erdman said there are people on the board, or who were on the board, who have violations of the city’s abandoned vehicle ordinance and pit bulls.

“I don’t see where it’s equal,” Erdman said.“You guys seem to exempt yourselves from these rules. I just want you to tell me whether that’s fair. I don’t think that’s fair.”

“I appreciate you sharing your thoughts tonight,” Taylor said.

Erdman again asked Taylor for an answer to any of his questions.

“You’re welcome to speak to whatever you have on your mind, but I have no reason to respond to anything you are bringing up,” Taylor said.

• Kristofer Ritchie asked what the special council meeting was about. Taylor said it was a special meeting for some additional funding for the repair project to the city garage.

Kriley noted Change Order No. 1, in the amount of $17,062.50 was approved for the repair project to the city garage directly north of city hall at 2405 Ave. E. During the special meeting, a representative of Uhl Construction reported that after work was started on the project, it was discovered the west end of the garage had no stable surface area under the concrete. For stability, cement forms will have to be installed to handle the weight of the structure.

It was noted the original bid approved by the council for the repair work to the garage was $55,256.68. Kriley said the city received an AIC grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation which will pay 80 percent of that change order.

• Taylor noted the city’s new waterman has been installed. After a brief discussion, a motion was approved to change the waterman rate from the current 25 cents per 50 gallons to 25 cents per 12.5 gallons.

• Approval was given to keep Piper as a backup to part-time city office employee Cathy Smith.

• Approval was given to renew the annual travel brochure distribution expenditure with Travel Brochure Distribution of Elkhart at a cost of $525.

• Approval was given to pay Stevenson Automotive Excellence in Assaria $1,095 to perform DOT inspection on seven Wilson Fire Department trucks and flow test the two pumper trucks.

The next meeting of the Wilson City Council will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, at city hall.

“I don’t feel the breed, or being a pit bull, is any more dangerous than any other dog.”

James Reagan

Wilson Chief of Police