By: Amy Oakley
Carter County Times
The Grayson city council convened last Tuesday night for a special session to discuss new business ideas ranging from a new K-9 officer to chickens being allowed within city limits.
Grayson police officer Justin Stone approached the council to discuss the possibility of adding a K-9 officer to the department. He came prepared with research and has potentially found a dog already, a female named Alpha.
The council was very intrigued with the thought of a K-9 entering the community. Several council members seemed excited at the thought. Across the county on the west side, Olive Hill’s police department has a K-9, highlighting the need for one in Grayson as well.
Mayor Troy Combs commended Stone before the discussion began.
“First of all, I just really want to commend Justin for all his effort and research on this. He got in touch with who I believe is a reputable company who have been helping him secure grant funding for a K-9 and he has also received donations from the community,” Combs said.
Stone is looking at obtaining a dual purpose K-9 to help combat several of the city’s issues. The K-9 can be used in a range from narcotic detection to handled protection for the officer.
“The K-9 I’m wanting is a dual purpose K-9. It would be for handled protection and narcotic detection which is the biggest reason why we need it. Also, it would be used for trained apprehension,” Stone said.
Grayson’s issues with drugs are no secret. Stone and Combs agreed that a K-9 would help combat the issues of drugs within the community.
“The average person doesn’t know the amount of drugs that come through Grayson. It’s actually mind blowing, it really is,” Stone said. “I wouldn’t be afraid to say that there’s pounds of drugs coming through Grayson daily.”
In order to obtain a K-9 unit, Stone must attend eight hours of training with the K-9 for 11 months in Pike County. Then he must attend a yearly training with the dog in Ashland, Ohio to be recertified. In total Stone will spend around 296 hours of overtime in the program. The K-9 will stay with its handler who would be Stone and would need a kennel as they are not normally kept in a house.
With his current numbers, Stone estimates the total could be around $26,000 for a K-9 unit. He is looking into additional funding that could provide up to an extra $15,000, meaning that the city might have to pay as little as $12,000 for the unit. The council discussed funding the unit with the opioid abatement funds they have.
“I do recommend that we have a K-9. I think it will help keep drugs out of our town,” Combs said.
The council approved a motion to initiate the K-9 program into the budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year through the Grayson police department.
The next big discussion on the council’s agenda was the chicken ordinance first reading. Discussed during the last regular council meeting, the council is looking to create an ordinance to allow urban backyard chickens.
City attorney Jason Greer read the ordinance to the council to discuss topics such as permits, general requirements, and enforcement and penalties. There was some confusion about the general requirement of the henhouse/coop/tractor being located at a minimum of 25 feet from the nearest residence.
After the confusion was sorted, the council agreed that the permit to obtain chickens will be $10. Some important general requirements include that there shall be no more than six chickens kept on a property within city limits and there shall be no breeding or slaughtering of backyard chickens within the City of Grayson. Additionally, only the keeping of non-crowing chickens will be allowed. As the ordinance reads: adult roosters, turkeys, guineas, ducks, geese, or other domestic fowl are specifically prohibited. Before a permit can be issued, code enforcement officer Joe Hammer will have to inspect the residence to ensure it meets all requirements.
The council voted unanimously to approve the first reading of the ordinance.
The next council meeting that will be held is the regular meeting that occurs every second Tuesday of the month.
Contact the writer at news@cartercountytimes.com
