West Mifflin residents clapped and cheered as the City Council moved to kill a controversial proposal that would have targeted pet owners.
The district had considered imposing limits on the number of pets per person, but backlash was swift.
On Tuesday night, people gathered at the City Council meeting to have their say on the ordinance.
“Reject it! Don’t put it on hold!” they shouted.
The line spilled out the door to a room filled with more than 100 upset local residents.
“I want to vote tonight. I want it rejected,” one man shouted.
As the meeting began, there were several angry shouts.
“We elected you guys, there will be a new council next year,” another man shouted.
Councilwoman Karen Santoro made a motion to shelve the pet bill at the start of the meeting, which sparked an uproar.
“I did not propose or write this ordinance,” Santoro said. “We are not trying to take away your pets. It’s not on the table.”
The turnout was so high that council members voted to repeal the ordinance within 30 minutes of the meeting starting.
“Clearly the residents’ voices have been heard and the council has accepted them,” said attorney Phil DiLucente, who proposed the pet ordinance.
Many pet owners, including Emily Booth, were happy with the decision.
“I’m actually relieved,” Booth said. “Obviously, I’m very emotional. I love the animals.”
The proposition would limit the number of pets homeowners can have to five — all cats, but no more than three dogs — a proposal that would cause many responsible pet owners to exceed the limit.
Booth has four dogs, chickens and some exotic animals.
“We were discussing which dogs we had to put down,” Booth said.
For many people, including Kelsey Gross, pets are like members of the family.
“I have three dogs and two cats, but I also have five fish in my pond,” Gross said. “This ordinance doesn’t discriminate against animals. I’m definitely happy.”
A separate proposal to limit the number of chickens each person could keep was also defeated tonight.
City council members said the pet ordinance has many flaws as written, adding that they have no plans to propose anything similar to the ordinance again.
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