Council receives request to reconsider its dog ruling

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

It was something new and something old for the Mt. Pleasant City Council Wednesday.

The council met for the first time in the ?new? city hall at 307 East Monroe Street after meeting for 80 years at the ?old? city hall at 220 West Monroe Street.

During the meeting, the council was informed that a request to reconsider its ruling to remove a dog from the city limits has been filed with the city attorney.

Earlier this month, the city hosted a public hearing on an appeal of the Mt. Pleasant Police Department?s order to have a dog owned by Richard Sartorius removed from the city limits. The dog allegedly bit Sartorius? neighbor, Sandy Christner, on May 8.

However, there were numerous discrepancies in testimony offered during the hearing before the council. Sartorius claimed that the dog did not bite Christner. Medical personnel at the Henry County Health Center, who treated Christner following the attack, and the police officer investigating the incident agreed that the dog had bitten her.

The council has held firm to a ?one bite and you?re out? rule in the past regarding dogs in the city limits.

After the council heard testimony during its Sept. 14 meeting, it opted not to make a decision. Instead, the council met in special session for 45 minutes on Sept. 19, after which the council voted unanimously to uphold the police department?s order to have the dog removed. Councilman Steve Engberg, insurance agent for Sartorius, did not attend the special meeting nor vote on the matter.

Councilman Kent White, speaking for the council, said, ?We based our decision on the ordinance and the police report, and that the dog left the property and attacked Mrs. Christner.?

The request for reconsideration of the council?s decision was delivered in a letter to Mt. Pleasant City Attorney Pat Brau by Steven Ort, of New London, attorney for the Sartorius family.

Mt. Pleasant Mayor Steve Brimhall said that a committee comprised of himself, City Administrator Brent Schleisman and Brau would review Ort?s request.

Schleisman told the council that the move of city hall to the city-owned library/civic center building went well. ?I want to express my sincere appreciation to city staff, the Department of Corrections and the public in helping us with the move. It went very well, better than I thought it would. We were only without phone and Internet for 24 hours.?

Brimhall said plans for the auction of the former city hall building have been finalized. The auction will be Thursday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m., at the building. It will also be conducted via the Internet.

?It will go to the highest bidder,? Brimhall said. ?I am looking forward to the auction.?

Since there was just one item on the agenda, the approval of Hy-Vee, located at 1700 E. Washington St., to have an outdoor service permit for a special event in its parking lot on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, the bulk of the council?s meeting dealt with reports.

White said he was pleased with the recent asphalting of several streets in the community. ?I haven?t heard any negative comments on the asphalt. The people say they like the new streets.?

In another street construction matter, Brimhall said that paving has been finished on the main line of Mapleleaf Drive from Grand Avenue to Iris Street. He said the project could be completed by the end of next week.

Council members meet again in regular session Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 5:30 p.m., at the library/civic center building.