MOULTRIE — Two residents addressed the Moultrie City Council during Tuesday night’s meeting about neighborhood dogs harming the neighborhood.

Melanie Limbach, the owner and operator at The Barber-Tucker House, 704 Third St. S.W., was the first resident to come forward to the council. She informed them that five cats in a three-house radius have been killed in the last two months. One of the five pets was her 14-year-old cat.

The responsible parties for the killings, Limbach said, are a group of dogs that live down the street from her residence.

Another Moultrie resident from the 900 block of Third Street Southwest agreed and stated the dogs have been behaving in this manner since the beginning of the year.

“They’re harming animals now. But at some point, they’re going to harm a human, and it’s not going to be good. This is a matter of urgency to not only animals,” the resident said.

Both residents have made repeated calls to the Moultrie Police Department and the Moultrie-Colquitt County Humane Society.

City Manager Pete Dillard responded, “The shelter is going under reorganization [and] is trying to hire a new director, and I think he or she will probably be bringing in new staff. It’s kind of in a state of flux at the moment.”

He said the MCCHS Board of Directors is addressing the issues and are consulting with the Thomasville-Thomas County Humane Society.

Chief of Police Sean Ladson said the MPD is aware of the issue and is working on it with the dogs’ owner. If the plan doesn’t follow through, the MPD will move forward with citations regarding leash laws.

Before the meeting adjourned, City Councilmember Daniel Dunn of District II, Post 5 asked the chief to monitor the situation and see if there is anything they can assist with.

Other actions taken

The council unanimously approved the first and second readings to amend the City of Moultrie’s alcohol ordinance with a vote of 5 to 0. City Councilmember Lisa Clarke Hill of District I, Post I was absent from the meeting.

City Manager Pete Dillard introduced the change during the work session.

“Primarily our changes would increase the distance from the residential area from 50 feet to 100 feet for an establishment that has alcohol. It also is to treat beer and wine the same as liquor for an establishment,” he said.

First and second readings are essentially a vote to consider a measure. Actual approval of it requires third and final readings, which usually take place at the next city council meeting.

An amendment with ESG Operations Inc. was approved by the council.

The council also approved the renewal of an annual agreement with Cartegraph Systems LLC. The agreement allows the city’s Public Works department to monitor and assign its work orders through the program.

City Councilmember Wilma Hadley of District III, Post 6 asked for clarification on behalf of a citizen, “When did we as citizens start paying for limbs to be picked up or trash to be picked up?”

The council discussed that if a resident cleans up their property with minimal debris then there is no charge, but if the debris goes over a certain volume then there is an extra charge.

“If it’s something small enough, [that] you probably did yourself then there’s no charge. If it’s something that obviously you brought in a contractor to do, that contractor is supposed to dispose of it as part of his cost, not leave it to the city,” Dillard explained.

The next city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m.