Council votes down animal ordinance

The Thompson Falls City Council on Monday voted down an ordinance allowing residents to have chickens, rabbits, ducks and quails in the city limits.

The council voted 3-2 against the ordinance. Council member Shawni Vaught, who voted against the ordinance with Katherine Maudrone and Ruth Cheney, brought up the fact that there was nothing in the ordinance about proper or timely disposal of carcasses. She said she had talked with a representative from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and to Bob Butte of Butte Services about proper disposal and felt it was important to have that in the ordinance.

Mayor Mark Sheets had told the council one option would be to approve the ordinance as it was written, then at the May meeting begin the process of amending it to include the disposal guidelines.

The ordinance would set limits on the number of chickens, rabbits, ducks and Coturnix quails residents can have within city limits. It would require an application and fee for anyone wanting to keep the animals as pets or livestock. The city already has an ordinance that applies to chickens, ducks and rabbits. The new ordinance would expand that mandate for the city.

The city council also heard from Jerry McDonald on Monday, the Sanders County representative for the Big Sky Rail Authority, which is seeking to restore passenger rail service from Fargo, North Dakota, to Spokane, Washington. McDonald said the effort would include repairing tracks and building depots along the line, "and hopefully one in Thompson Falls."

The council voted to lend their support to the project by writing letters to the state's congressional delegates and governor. McDonald said they hope to have at least 20 communities on board for the project by the end of the year. Sanders County Commissioners voted last year to support the project.

Council member Ruth Cheney on Monday proposed placing memorial plaques for Rodney Knutson and Victor Pirker at the Ainsworth Park veterans memorial. "These are two people who have certainly earned the right for a nice bronze plaque," Cheney said of the two local veterans.

Council member Katherine Maudrone said she wanted the city to come up with some general guidelines for memorials, as they don't know how many people will be wanting to place memorials in the future. The council voted 4-1 to have the recreation and public properties committee review the matter.

Also at Monday's meeting, Maudrone was elected vice chair of the city council. Raoul Ribeiro, who was absent from Monday's meeting, is the chairperson for the council.

The next city council meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 3, at 6 p.m. in the Thompson Falls Community Center.