The city of Valparaiso has banned the retail sale of dogs and cats, but the ban's impact may be limited.
The ordinance passed by the city council Monday doesn't apply to the one business currently selling dogs, and a bill in the Indiana General Assembly could preempt it entirely. Senate Bill 134 would prohibit local bans that weren't already in place by January 1. It's been passed by the Senate and is now being considered by the Indiana House of Representatives.
Valparaiso City Attorney Patrick Lyp recommended that council members pass their ordinance, anyway. "If we're preempted, we're preempted. But if we're not, then we would have our ordinance adopted within our municipal code," Lyp told council members Monday.
Much of Monday's discussion had to do with how exactly the current business would be grandfathered in. Council members agreed that it could keep operating, unless it voluntarily closed for 180 days.
Council member Jack Pupillo felt that was more fair than 30-day time frame initially proposed. "We don't want to seem like we're running people out of town after they have legally established a business. I think this is a good middle ground," Pupillo said.
The Portage City Council is waiting to see what happens with the state legislation, before proceeding with a similar ordinance.
