(A) Problem pet ownership. For purposes of this section, a PROBLEM PET OWNER is a person who has been determined by the Hearing Officer or the court having jurisdiction to have committed:
(B) Designation of problem pet owner. A person shall be designated as a problem pet owner when the Hearing Officer or the court having jurisdiction, at the request of the Police Department, has conducted an evidentiary hearing, heard and considered evidence pertaining to past violations of this chapter by the person, and entered an order determining that the person has committed the violations described in division (A) above and designating the person as a problem pet owner.
(C) Notice of hearing. A person whom the Police Department requests be designated as a problem pet owner shall be provided with written notice of a hearing before the Hearing Officer or the court having jurisdiction, served by certified and regular mail to the person’s last known address, containing the following information:
(1) The name and address of the person who is the subject of the hearing;
(2) The names, descriptions and license numbers of any animals owned by or licensed to the person;
(3) Brief descriptions of the violations that form the basis of the request;
(4) Notification of the date, time and location of the hearing before the Hearing Officer or the court having jurisdiction; and
(5) A summary of the impact of designation as a problem pet owner, as set forth in this section.
(D) Prehearing confinement of animals. Upon service of notice pursuant to division (C) above, all of the animals owned by a person whom the Police Department seeks to be declared to be a problem pet owner may be impounded if the Chief of Police or his or her designee determines that impoundment is in the interests of public safety or the health and welfare of the animals. Upon such a determination by the Chief of Police or his or her designee, an animal control officer or police officer may require that all of the animals be held in an animal shelter or a secure veterinary hospital until a hearing is held. If all of the animals are not impounded prior to the hearing, the owner shall comply with any and all requirements imposed by the Chief of Police, the animal control officer or their designee for the confinement and care of the animals pending the hearing. Any failure to comply with such requirement is a violation of this division (D), and each day of noncompliance will constitute a separate violation.
(E) Bar on licensing or owning animals. If, after conducting a hearing, the Hearing Officer or the court having jurisdiction determines that a person should be declared a problem pet owner, all animal licenses held by that person will be immediately revoked, and it shall be unlawful for that person to license or own any animal in the village for a period of 24 months from the date of the entry of that determination. Further, upon the determination by the Hearing Officer or the court having jurisdiction that a person is a problem pet owner, the problem pet owner must immediately surrender all animals in his or her possession to the Chief of Police, the animal control officer or their designee.
(Ord. 4154, passed 4-30-2012) Penalty, see § 92.99