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Unwelcome Sign for Barn Animals?: Avian Influenza Threat Motivates Wilkes-Barre City Council's Plan to Ban All but Dogs and Cats.

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Jon Fox, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader

May 10--WILKES-BARRE -- Have a pot-bellied pig?

How about a rooster or perhaps a goat?

Well, you may want to spend some quality time with them while you can.

A city attorney is working on a law to limit pets pretty much to dogs and cats.

The legal language hasn't been hashed out yet, and city council will vote on the law's title only tomorrow. But any pigs are likely history.

"We don't want any -- for lack of a better term -- barn animals," said Bill Vinsko, assistant city attorney.

It began with concerns about avian influenza, but while Vinsko was at it he decided to take a look at the ordinance governing all animals in the city and unusual pets.

"Like pot-bellied pigs," he said.

The law was briefly discussed at Tuesday's city council work session, and Councilwoman Kathy Kane asked if the new ordinance would regulate pigeons.

Indeed it would, Vinsko said.

"Of course, with the bird flu situation, we're trying to follow what the Department of Health and Human Services is recommending for local governments," he said.

Tomorrow, council will also vote on an amendment to the city's landlord ordinance. City code-enforcement officials have said the current ordinance lacks teeth. The proposed changes to that law are designed to make it more difficult for marginal apartments to get a passing grade.

"We made substantial changes to the entire point system," Vinsko said.

In March 2005, a modified rental ordinance went into effect requiring landlords to have their properties inspected yearly or whenever there was tenant turnover.

Within a year, the city had inspected more than 1,100 apartments, and inspection officials estimated that no more than 2 percent of the units had failed.

The amended law will make the inspection more stringent.

During inspections, points are assessed for problems. Collect 25 or more points, and the apartment is labeled "unfit for human habitation."

The new law will increase points for certain deficiencies in the buildings, and some problems will earn a unit an automatic fail. Not providing a toilet, kitchen sink or hot water will take the apartment off the market until fixed.

Under the current law, an apartment could have neither a kitchen sink nor a shower or tub and still pass.

Jon Fox, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7219.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader

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Source: The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)

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