Cat Management By-Law Facts

So that you are clear on what this is all about here are some facts:

1. A question on cat management was included in our 2013 Annual Community Survey, which was responded to by 800 ratepayers (a statistically valid response).
2. 79 per cent of those ratepayers surveyed agreed the City should manage cats in the same way as it manages dogs.
3. Recently Council also considered a petition from 470 City of Burnside residents calling for a change to the current cat management strategy. This change would effectively mean creating a new by-law to manage cats.
4. So Council moved a motion to explore further our community’s appetite for a cat by-law by undertaking community engagement on whether the community want a cat management by-law and what would be acceptable in that by-law.
5. This consultation will soon be commencing and Council is expecting a high response to this engagement that includes a survey to enable the community to have their day about the proposed by-law.
6. This engagement will close at 5 pm Monday 30 June and then the results will be reported back to Council. Depending upon the outcome of the engagement, Council will resolve to either stop investigating a cat management by-law or continue with the process to gazettal and enactment of the by-law.
7. If Council decides to continue the process, then a report must be prepared for the State Legislative Review Committee of Parliament to consider whether the by-law should be disallowed.
8. If passed by Parliament, four months after gazettal the by-law will be in force.