One Calvert municipality will now be covered by the county’s newly enacted Animal Control Ordinance. At their Aug. 5 meeting, the Calvert Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted unanimously to approve an amendment to the ordinance that makes the new law applicable to North Beach.

County Attorney Emanuel Demedis explained to the BOCC that the county’s animal control officers will be obligated to enforce county and state laws within North Beach. However, they will not be enforcing the town ordinance that bans pit bulls.

The Town of Chesapeake Beach remains uncovered by the revised Animal Control Ordinance.

Commissioners’ President Wilson H. Parran [D] said a letter received from the Town of Chesapeake Beach regarding the Animal Control Ordinance contained modifications to the measure.

When contacted later, Chesapeake Beach Mayor Gerald W. Donovan stated that town officials were unaware that the municipalities were not going to be automatically covered by the revised ordinance until mid-July. A Chesapeake Beach town resident having a problem with feral cats on her property was told by county Animal Control that they no longer responded to calls in the municipalities, according to Donovan.

Commissioner Linda L. Kelley [R] was critical of town officials for wanting to delete portions of the county ordinance that covered abuse and neglect, transporting animals, sheltering and sales. “Those were some really significant portions of the ordinance,� said Kelley.

She also accused town officials of circumventing the public input process by passing an emergency ordinance. “I think there was a little bit of tap-dancing,� said Kelley. Of the label “emergency ordinance,� Kelley opined, “that’s all very cute but I think it was done to bypass public input.�

The mayor pointed out that he insisted town resident and Calvert County Humane Society member Laurel Matthews be given a chance to offer comments at the July 17 meeting when the emergency ordinance was discussed.

Demedis indicated that the county will send a letter to Chesapeake Beach essentially saying they must accept “all or nothing� if they want to be incorporated into the new Animal Control Ordinance.

Eric Blitz, the attorney for the town, called the county’s action “upsetting.� Blitz stated that Demedis gave no indication that the town had to accept the entire county ordinance in order to be covered. “He [Demedis] didn’t object to us not including all the provisions,� said Blitz. “They led us along.�

Blitz also disputed Kelley’s contention that no public input was allowed prior to the town’s July 17 action. “There was a public hearing held on it,� he said. “Because it was an emergency ordinance there wasn’t time to publicize it. We presented it as an emergency ordinance because we wanted to expedite the coverage.�

Blitz could not discuss the advice he would give the mayor and town council on their next move. “They are going to have to make a decision,� he said.