Brewster council approves revised pit bull ordinance

BREWSTER – Council member John Housden was the lone dissenting vote in opposition to revised Ordinance 889, approved by the Brewster City Council last Wednesday, April 12, that allows pit bull dogs to reside once again within the Brewster city limits.
The new ordinance includes several additions to Section 3 regarding the keeping of licensed pit bull dogs. New language requires an owner to register a pit bull within 10 days of bringing the dog into the city. The same time frame applies to implantation of the required microchip, proof of spaying or neutering and providing a photo of the dog to the city clerk.  
Public works director, Lee Webster reported that efforts to complete an income survey of city residential water users to determine the city’s eligibility for low income funding is coming up short of required responses.
“We had 99,” said Webster, “we still need 60 more.
The city initiated the survey in January in conjunction with the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) with funding assistance from the Department of Health.
Brewster needs a high response rate for the survey to be considered valid and to meet that benchmark at least 159 responses are needed.
Mayor Art Smyth commented that many of the city’s migrant residents are reluctant to complete the survey or even answer their doors for fear that any information they provide might be used for deportation measures.
A letter accompanying the survey clearly specified that “no identifying information will be provided to the funding agency or representatives of the City of Brewster. Responses to this survey are strictly confidential.”