Poland leash law tabled

POLAND

Village council has decided to table an ordinance that would have required dogs to be leashed in all areas of Poland Municipal Forest.

“We’re going to revisit it in a year. ...I think we’re going to try to add signs and make people more aware of what’s going on,” said Mayor Tim Sicafuse.

Sicafuse said council has asked police to enforce the existing leash law more stringently. The original ordinance states that dogs can be unleashed from Butler Trail to Interstate 680, which is in the western part of the forest, but must be leashed in the remaining area, including the popular Bluebell Trail. The ordinance was approved by council in December 2007 and has a potential penalty of a $100 fine.

The decision goes against the recommendations of the Poland Forest Board. Many of the residents who attended the first reading of the ordinance, however, said that the problem could be alleviated if the village enforced the leash law better and had clearer boundary signs in the forest.

For the full story, read today's Vindicator or Vindy.com.