HANOVER — The Selectboard has reversed course and pulled a dog leash question from the Town Meeting warrant, after board members expressed concern voters may be confused by the process and that the issue needed more study.
At its last meeting on March 21, board members decided to ask voters whether to adopt the state statute that would give the town legal authorization to enact a leash law. Then the town still would have to craft a municipal ordinance that defines leash requirements.
At a pre-Town Meeting public hearing on Monday, Town Manager Julia Griffin told the board that a draft ordinance could give voters a better idea of what they were voting on before they were asked to act on the state statute. Additionally, board members said the confusing language in the statute likely would result in plenty of discussion but little understanding.
“People will come out to speak on this issue and I want to have … what the statute, once adopted, enables us to do, or doesn’t enable us to do, as a town,” Griffin said, according to a video recording of the meeting. “I’m not looking forward to the parsing of words that is likely to happen at Town Meeting relative to people demanding a clear understanding of under what circumstances they can be off their property with their dogs off leash.”
Griffin characterized the state statute as “murky” and said the town attorney has given the board a road map on how to proceed.
Joanna Whitcomb, the Selectboard secretary, agreed with Griffin’s assessment.
“The way this is written, I agree, is very murky and confusing,” Whitcomb said. “We need clarification. The intent, my intent, to bring this forward was we have had people come to us and ask us to address the leash law. But I sit here and read this, and I don’t know what the heck it’s saying. I would say pull it.”
Whitcomb initially suggested leaving the leash question on the warrant without voting on the state statute in order to hear from the community about whether a leash law is wanted.
But others opposed adding a question to Town Meeting agenda that would only draw passionate debate but no resolution.
The board ultimately voted unanimously to pull the item from the warrant, prepare a draft town ordinance, and consider bringing the authorizing statute for a vote in 2023.
Town Meeting will be held May 10 beginning at 7 p.m. at Hanover High School for the business meeting to vote on the budget and warrant articles. Australian ballot voting on elected officers and a variety of zoning ordinances will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Darren Marcy can be reached at dmarcy@vnews.com or 802-291-4992.