County grooms animal control ordinance

SANDPOINT — Bonner County commissioners are slated to tighten up the county’s animal control ordinance today.

The board meant to implement the changes at its Nov. 4 meeting, but they adopted them without a roll-call vote. That vote is set for today.

There are no monumental changes, although the penalty for a repeat offense for failing to curb a nuisance animal is increasing by $100.

Prosecutor Louis Marshall said the changes mainly resolve a clash between the existing ordinance and state code. As a result, state law has trumped county law under the doctrine of preemption and a supremacy clause.

“We’ve had some court cases where a certain magistrate has found that our old law was inconsistent with the state law. And we think he was right, too,” said Marshall.

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