Delta County residents addressed the Delta County Board on Tuesday during the board’s public hearing on the proposed Delta County Animal Control Ordinance. The proposed ordinance highlights several significant changes, including expanded definitions, the role of local law enforcement in animal control and more.

ESCANABA – Community members addressed the Delta County Board on Tuesday during a public hearing on the proposed Delta County Animal Control Ordinance.

The proposed ordinance features a simplified format with clear, organized descriptions of rules for owning and caring for animals in Delta County.

The proposed ordinance also defines more than twice as many terms as the current ordinance, adding definitions for phrases such as “large-scale dog breeding kennel,” “non-agricultural area,” “wild animal” and “caregiver.”

In addition, the ordinance replaces the term “vicious animal” with “dangerous animal” and expands the definition as the following:

“Dangerous Animal: a dog or other animal that bites or attacks a person, or a dog that bites or attacks and causes serious injury or death to another dog while the other dog is on the property or under the control of its owner. However, a dangerous animal does not include any of the following:

1. An animal that bites or attacks a person who is knowingly trespassing on the property of the animal’s owner.

2. An animal that bites or attacks a person who provokes or torments the animal.

3. An animal that is responding in a manner that an ordinary and reasonable person would conclude was designed to protect a person if that person is engaged in a lawful activity or is the subject of an assault.”

In the previous ordinance, “vicious animal” is simply described as “any animal that constitutes a physical threat to humans, or other animal.” The expanded definition provides more specific criteria for the term and clear exceptions, leaving less open to interpretation.

The proposed ordinance further outlines licensing rules and fees. All pet licenses can be discounted by 50% if your dog or cat has a microchip, according to the ordinance.

The fee for a neutered or spayed dog or cat is $8 per year or $50 for a lifetime, while the fee for a not neutered or spayed dog or cat is $12 per year or $75 for a lifetime.

Additionally, the proposed ordinance details the role of the Delta County Sheriff’s Office, as the department acts as the county’s animal control along with other law enforcement.

Officers acting as animal control have the authority to issue tickets or summonses to those who violate the ordinance, to take stray animals to the Delta Animal Shelter, to investigate animal bites involving humans and other duties.

According to the ordinance, officers have the authority to “enter private property (excluding buildings and curtilage, unless with a warrant, emergency, or other exception to the warrant requirement)” to ensure compliance, take stray dogs, to the Delta Animal Shelter and more.

That provision, in particular, has emerged as a point of debate for some community members. One Ford River Township resident referenced the language during the hearing, voicing concerns about privacy protections.

“I see the carve out for a warrant, but I have some issues with fourth amendment privacy protections there,” he said. “Wouldn’t it just be better to give a ticket?”

A Gladstone resident also spoke to the board, expressing concern about fellow residents not leashing their dogs and urging stricter enforcement.

“Just yesterday, my 4-year-old daughter was knocked off her scooter by a dog who was not on a leash and was on the sidewalk and not under the control of his owner,” she said. “Then, just on that same street, we were confronted by two other at-large dogs. For context, this all happened on the same street as Jones Elementary School. I am trying to explain that this is an unsafe situation and for the very reason that leash laws and ordinances exist.”

The board will now begin reviewing the proposal, which is available on the county’s website, https://deltacountymi.org/.

“I think we’re going to come out in the end with something that is going to be very clean and easy – I should say easier – to enforce,” said Commissioner Christine Williams. “Some of the enforcement issues right now are because the ordinance that is in place is specifically written such that we have our own animal control officer and we have our own shelter and we have all of these resources around this particular type of enforcement, and that is simply not the case.”

In other business, the board:

– Approved an unbudgeted expenditure of up to $45,000 to replace the transmission of the Delta County Airports’ 2004 Case Front-End Loader. Replacing the transmission of the airport’s current front-end loader will restore the facility’s independent winter operations. The Delta County Sheriff’s Department has loaned a John Deere unit to the airport for pushing sow and filling the sanders, and the City of Escanaba has assisted by using their equipment to help with snow blowing operations, according to Airport Manager Ashleigh Young. A new loader is scheduled to be delivered to the airport after the winter season, at which point the repaired loader will be retained as a backup unit.

– Approved the posting and hiring of the Parks & Recreation Department’s seasonal positions for 2026. The positions open include two full-time seasonal clerks, one full-time seasonal laborer and one part-time seasonal housekeeper. Positions will be based at the Pioneer Trail Park office and will not exceed May 1 through Oct. 12, 2026.

– Approved the amended agreement with Upper Peninsula Michigan Works (MiWorks) for office space within the Delta County Service Center. MiWorks recently agreed to return 410 square feet of office space to accommodate the relocation of the Michigan State University Extension into the vacated area. The lease was amended to recalculate the annual and monthly payments based on the updated square footage, according to the board’s agenda item.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.