A citizen-led initiative to remove breed specific language from Salina's animal ordinances took a significant step forward Tuesday, as organizers submitted their petition to city officials.
City Manager Jacob Wood informed the Salina City Commission that the petition, which has been circulating throughout the community, was officially submitted earlier in the day.
"That petition will go to the County," Wood explained during the meeting. "The county will look at all the names, they will certify it."
According to Wood, once the County completes its certification process, the City Commission will face a decision: either adopt the ordinance change as written in the petition or send the matter to voters through a special election.
Tyler Sartain, representing the group "Salinas against BSL," addressed commissioners during the citizens forum portion of the meeting, confirming they were responsible for submitting the petition.
"Whatever happens, we know that there needs to be a change in Salina, and we hope that we can all just kind of work together on it," Sartain said.
The timeline for certification remains uncertain. Wood indicated he was "not exactly sure how long it will take them to do that," noting the city would provide commissioners with more information once the County completes its review process.
During public comments, Sartain acknowledged that with elections and tax matters currently underway, "the county will probably kind of be on the back burner," but expressed optimism about eventual changes to the ordinance.
The petition is the culmination of approximately a year and a half of signature gathering, with Sartain stating their group had spoken with "thousands of Salinas" during the process.
