New dog laws take effect

Chaining or tying dogs is no longer an option for city residents. The Blakely City Council voted at its March 4 meeting to adopt a change in the city's animal control ordinance that prohibits tethering dogs and requires owners to provide a pen or fenced yard instead.

In addition, the ordinance requires that owners prevent their animals from becoming nuisances to others and that when not secured in a pen or fenced yard, dogs must be on a leash held by an able-bodied person.

Citizens will have 60 days to comply with the ordinance change before citations will be issued.

The council voted to approve a request to rezone the property known as 11401 Columbia Road from R2 to Commercial. The property, situated east of Dairy Queen, is being proposed as the site for a Piggly Wiggly grocery store.

A request by Fire Chief Kenneth Jones to apply for a firefighter's assistance grant was approved. Jones said the grant request was for a new $300,000 fire truck to replace the city's 1975 model truck. The city's cost match is 5 percent or $15,000.

The council voted to accept the low bid of $20,140 by Hattaway Ford for a new truck for the water and sewer department and to approve Commercial State Bank as the low bid for a tax anticipation note at 3.9 percent.

The council approved a request to change the software used by city hall and adopted a franchise fee ordinance.

In other business, it was announced that city hall employees were putting together a Relay for Life team and that Paul Simonton was continuing as engineer on the city's waste water upgrade.