The Salina City Commission was informed during their September 23, 2024 meeting that a petition has been submitted to repeal the city's breed-specific dog legislation.
Deputy City Manager Wood reported that the group "Salina BSL" had submitted their petition to the county clerk's office. The next step in the process is for the county election official to certify the petition, verifying that it meets the qualifications for number of electors from the city and signature count.
Once certified, the petition will be brought before the City Commission. At that point, commissioners will have two options:
- Approve the ordinance as written in the petition
- Send the issue to a special election
City staff indicated they have been preparing for this possibility and will have a report ready for commissioners at an upcoming meeting.
During public comment, a representative of the petition group, addressed the commission. The representative stated that repealing the breed-specific legislation could save taxpayers money by avoiding the need to build a new animal shelter. It was also suggested that it would reduce workload for shelter staff and increase shelter revenue through additional dog adoptions.
The commission took no action on the matter at this meeting.
Further discussion is expected once the petition is certified and brought back before the commission.
