The Council’s draft Domestic Animal Management Strategy 2026-2029 (DAMP) will get its first walk off-leash in public at Wednesday’s Council meeting.
Animal management is a hot topic locally, and the draft will go out for consultation this month before being finalized in August or beyond.
According to the paperwork provided, the most notable actions in the draft DAMP are:
> extending the current cat curfew from 9 PM to 6 AM to “sunset to sunrise”
> reducing the number of dogs that can be walked without a permit from six to four, and
> rejecting a dog waste bag trial.
Barking up the wrong tree with bags
The previous Council had called for an investigation into the provision of dog waste bags in dog off-leash areas. The council officer’s investigation concluded that the provision of waste bags was expensive, ineffective, and added to plastic litter. Critically, they found that there was little reduction in dog waste in off-leash areas when bags were previously available.
Officers did not recommend progressing with a trial of dog waste bags, instead they considered providing free dog waste bags at Council events and Town Halls.
Another approach considered was a limited 14-month dog waste bag trial in partnership with local groups (e.g., traders, sports clubs, dog clubs, etc.) at selected locations. The bag dispensers would be installed by Council, and bags provided to partner groups to refill as needed. This would reduce the cost to the Council.
But ultimately, the recommendation to the council was to “not proceed with a trial of dog waste bags in public places due to the resource impact and concern that the provision of bags does not appear to reduce the incidence of dog waste left in public areas.”
In other words, they pooh-poohed the idea.
No change to bag carry rule
It would continue to be a requirement under the Community Amenity Local Law 2023 that dog owners carry bags and pick up after their dogs.
A third meeting cancelled so far this year
With less than half the year gone, this Council has cancelled three scheduled meetings. T
Council meetings scheduled for 5 March and 2 April were cancelled, and now 4 June.
What is the rationale for these cancellations?
More decisions are being made behind closed doors
The cancellations, combined with the frequency of unanimous votes, means that more decisions are being made beyond the public gaze.
While it’s admirable that councillors are frequently united, it’s obvious that they don’t all see eye to eye. We are left to wonder what’s happening behind closed doors.
