The Bainbridge City Council has made the city’s animal control ordinance more comprehensive: tethering of dogs to fixed objects is now against the law.

At its Tuesday meeting, the City Council to amend the ordinance to prohibit tethering, with only two exceptions. Dogs can be attached to a running line or pulley system as long as a choke or pinch collar is not used. Temporary chaining or tethering of animals is permitted only while the animals’ caretakers are engaged in an outdoor task not to exceed one hour.

“The idea is to give people a reasonable amount of time to complete an errand in a situation where they had to secure the dog unexpectedly,” City Manager Chris Hobby said. “We hope that if people put dogs out in an open yard that they would be put on a runner.”

Tethering was already prohibited in unincorporated areas of Decatur County, under the county’s 2009 animal control ordinance. Bainbridge, which adopted its animal control ordinance in 2005, considered tethering at the urging of Bainbridge-Decatur County Humane Society President Pam Immendorf.

Also on Tuesday night, the council introduced an additional amendment to the animal control ordinance that will be voted on at its August 17 meeting. The new amendment would require owners of dogs and cats to ensure they have access to adequate food, water, shelter, exercise and care. The ordinance would also define what adequate care for animals is, Hobby said.

Other business

In other business, the council:

 Approved a 2009-2010 FY millage rate of 3.57, as reported on in the August 4 issue of The Post-Searchlight.

 Approved, by unanimous vote, transmittal of the final draft of an update to the city’s comprehensive plan to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

 Approved, by unanimous vote, extension of city utilities to Lucile Hopson Boyd at 200 River Oaks Road. As part of the extension, Boyd agreed to allow annexation of her property into city limits at such time it becomes contiguous to those limits.

 Approved, by unanimous vote, the closure of the parts of Water, West and Broughton streets adjacent to Willis Park on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 31. The temporary closure will accommodate a Bainbridge High School football pep rally.

Bids and Bills

Bills: $9,655.20 from Eddie Brinson Concrete Finishing and Construction for concrete used on a drainage ditch on Ashton Way as part of the Douglas Hills sewer extension project.

Bids: $8,338 from Adapco of Sanford, Fla., for four 55-gallon drums of malathion for use in mosquito spray.