By Josh Bergeron

josh.bergeron@salisburypost.com

KANNAPOLIS — Pet owners who tie up their dogs outdoors will need to comply with updated city laws.

The Kannapolis City Council on Monday unanimously approved changes to ordinances on dogs restrained outdoors.

The additions to the city code stipulate that a dog’s harness or collar must be made of a material that prevents choking and be monitored regularly to assure a proper fit to prevent discomfort or injury. The ordinance changes also prohibit tethers from being attached so that the dog could wrap the tether around or over an object, resulting in strangulation or injury.

City Attorney Wally Safrit said the changes arose from some concern that the city’s animal ordinances didn’t “go far enough” when it comes to dog tethering.

Mayor Darrell Hinnant said members of the City Council believe that animals should be treated well.

“We’ve seen dogs or animals outside in the freezing cold rain, stuff like that, and many of our people have said as a result that we’ve got to find a way to ensure that animals are treated properly,” Hinnant said. “We’re continuing to dress it up, clean up the ordinance a little bit. I’ll be honest with you: I don’t think this is the last shot at it. I think we’ll probably come up with something else we need to look at later on.”

Before the council voted, Mayor Pro Tem Doug Wilson offered words of support for the regulation changes. Wilson said they would do more to protect animals and send a message that the city of Kannapolis cares about how animals are treated.

Before Monday’s vote, the ordinances already stipulated that tethers must be attached to a “buckle-type collar or harness,” could not be attached to a dog’s neck and could not be used with a choke- or pinch-style collar. They also stated that dogs must be allowed a “reasonable and unobstructed range of motion without the possibility of entanglement, strangulation or other injury.” Dogs also must have access to adequate food, water and shelter.

Violations of the animal control ordinances are considered misdemeanors.

In other business from Monday’s agenda:

• The Kannapolis City Council increased a self-imposed debt limit from 2 percent to 4 percent of the tax base.

The increase comes as the City Council inches closer to borrowing money for its downtown revitalization project. City Manager Mike Legg projected on Monday that downtown revitalization would require $60 million to $80 million in debt over the course of the project.

“We are going to be increasing the debt for the downtown efforts over the next two years. So, we just needed to have the leeway to do that,” Legg said after Monday’s meeting. “When we adopted the initial policy we had not even considered something as large as our downtown activities.”

Kannapolis passed the debt limit increase as part of its consent agenda — used for items with unanimous support. The 4 percent number specifically pertains to the total value of all taxable property in Kannapolis. State law sets tax-supported debt limits for local governments at 8 percent.

As part of its downtown revitalization, Kannapolis plans to build a demonstration project — apartments, retail and a parking garage — which will mostly use private funding. Downtown revitalization will also involve a minor league baseball stadium, streetscaping, recruiting retails stores and restaurants and making other upgrades.

• The council indefinitely delayed a proposal to allow golf carts on city streets.

First offered by Councilman Ryan Dayvault in February, the proposal received criticism from others on the council. The proposal would have limited the speed of golf carts to 20 mph; required drivers to be over 16 with a driver’s license; required insurance and a city permit; and permitted the vehicles only on city streets with a 35-mph speed limit.

The City Council in February delayed consideration of the proposal for three months. On Monday, it was delayed for an unspecified amount of time.

Dayvault said he’s OK with the additional delay. He said there are other major issues — downtown redevelopment, for example — that the city should focus on first.

“It’s a matter of right timing,” Dayvault said.

When the proposal re-emerges, he said, it will be limited to downtown and certain streets.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.