ORDINANCE NO. 1028

 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SEC. 5-25,

REDEMPTION, FORT MORGAN MUNICIPAL CODE (1994)

      BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT MORGAN, COLORADO:

      SEC. 5-25, REDEMPTION, Fort Morgan Municipal Code (1994), IS HEREBY AMENDED TO READ IN ITS ENTIRETY AS FOLLOWS:

Sec. 5-25.      Redemption.

(a)    Any dog that has been impounded under the provisions of this Article at the Animal Shelter may be redeemed by its owner or an authorized representative of the owner within five (5) days of its impoundment by paying a redemption fee established, from time to time, by resolution of the City Council.  In the event that any impounded dog is not so redeemed within such five (5) day period, such impounded dog may be made available for adoption or otherwise disposed of at the discretion of the employees of the Animal Shelter acting under the direction of the Chief of Police; except that Shelter Supervisor may determine that a dog without identification, including but not limited to a microchip, identification tag or rabies tag, may be disposed of in three (3) days if such Shelter Supervisor determines the Shelter has no additional resources for such animal or that such animal is dangerous.

(b)    If the Animal Shelter acquires the dog from the owner or an authorized representative of the owner, the dog shall become the property of the shelter at the time of transfer of the animal, and the dog may be disposed of by and at the discretion of the Shelter Supervisor.  If the dog is determined to be abandoned, as defined under C.R.S. §18-9-201(1), the dog becomes the property of the Shelter and may be disposed of by and at the discretion of the Shelter Supervisor.

(c)    The Fort Morgan Animal Shelter shall be a steward of stray dogs for the purposes of providing prophylactic veterinary care under the written protocol and direction of the Shelter Veterinarian.  Dogs, which in the opinion of the Shelter Veterinarian or the Shelter Supervisor, are experiencing extreme pain or suffering, may be disposed of immediately by the Shelter through euthanasia after the Animal Shelter has exhausted reasonable efforts to contact the owner; however, for dogs without identification, the Shelter shall exhaust reasonable efforts to contact the owner for up to twenty-four (24) hours from the time of acquisition.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

STATE OF COLORADO            )

COUNTY OF MORGAN             ) ss.                                     CERTIFICATE

CITY OF FORT MORGAN         )

       I, Nancy J. Lockwood, the duly appointed, qualified and acting Clerk of the City of Fort Morgan, Colorado, do hereby certify and attest that the foregoing Ordinance No. 1028 was, as a proposed ordinance duly and legally presented to the City Council of the City of Fort Morgan, Colorado, at a regular meeting on the 4^th day of April, 2006.  Said Ordinance, as proposed, was duly read at length at said regular meeting, and thereafter the same was, on the 7^th day of April, 2006 published in The Fort Morgan Times, a daily newspaper of general circulation published and printed in the City of Fort Morgan, Morgan County, Colorado.  Said proposed Ordinance was again taken up and read a second time, duly and legally passed, approved and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 18^th day of April, 2006.  Within five (5) days after its final passage, said Ordinance was published in The Fort Morgan Times, a daily newspaper of general circulation published and printed in the City of Fort Morgan, Morgan County, Colorado.

                                                                /s/ Nancy J. Lockwood

               City Clerk