The Warren County Commission has upheld a permit for No Time To Spare Animal Rescue in Pendleton, but is adding extra restrictions on dogs at the facility.
Commissioners Joe Gildehaus and Matt …
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The Warren County Commission has upheld a permit for No Time To Spare Animal Rescue in Pendleton, but is adding extra restrictions on dogs at the facility.
Commissioners Joe Gildehaus and Matt Flake voted on Oct. 25 to allow the conditional use permit (CUP) for the nonprofit shelter. Commissioner Tom Meyer was absent.
The ruling mostly upholds a CUP that was granted to No Time To Spare by the county planning and zoning board in July. The CUP was under appeal by nearby neighbors, who claimed that noise and other alleged issues caused by the shelter are nuisances.
Despite the positive ruling for the shelter, the commission’s vote came with additional restrictions on how No Time To Spare is allowed to operate. Most notably, the commission is only allowing the shelter to take in dogs from Warren County or an adjacent county, but excluding St. Charles County.
Commissioner Flake noted that the need for an animal shelter in Warren County is clear, but that the shelter should remain explicitly focused on meeting that local need.
“I feel that if this is allowed ... the dogs need to be limited to Warren County and adjoining counties only. No out-of-state dogs and no dogs from all over the state,” Flake commented. “It was part of the testimony how much Warren County needs this. I think there’s plenty of rescue (dogs) to be had in Warren County and the adjoining counties.”
To ensure compliance with the rule, No Time To Spare will have to keep track of information related to each dog the shelter brings in, and provide that info to the county in monthly reports.
The commissioners also chose to substantially increase the amount of liability insurance coverage that the nonprofit is required to carry for the shelter. The planning board had previously required $100,000 in liability coverage; the commission is requiring $1 million.
Gildehaus and Flake also chose to narrow the hours that dogs are allowed outside by two hours, in response to neighbors’ concerns about noise disturbance. Outside hours were reduced to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The commissioners also set an upper limit on the number of adult dogs at the facility.
Here’s a full list of new restrictions being enacted by the commission:
• Dogs from Warren County and surrounding counties only, excluding St. Charles County.
• No out of state animals or exotic animals.
• Minimum $1 million liability insurance.
• Maximum of 50 dogs with the exception of a pregnant/nursing female and its puppies.
• No animals outdoors earlier than 9 a.m. or later than 8 p.m.
• Monthly report provided to P&Z administrator tracking the dogs taken in and adopted out, along with each dog’s point of origin.
• The planning and zoning administrator may inspect the shelter for compliance on any day during regular business hours.
Additionally, the county planning and zoning board in July had set requirements that the shelter address issues with a building setback violation, outstanding county fees, and wastewater runoff control. All three of those issues were quickly corrected before the matter even reached the county commission, noted Planning and Zoning Administrator Bill Roemer.
Staff Writer John Rohlf contributed to this report.