Mount Pleasant’s City Council heard from a group of residents Wednesday night upset about a proposed ordinance adding a $50 fine for feeding stray cats.
The Burlington Beacon reports that tensions were high until being calmed by Mount Pleasant Police Chief Lyle Murray, who clarified that an individual would first receive three warnings over a two-year period before a fine could be issued.
Murray explained that his department has little interest in actively enforcing the ordinance, which has already prohibited feeding stray cats for roughly 40 years. He emphasized that the only new element being added is the $50 penalty which he says is to ensure compliance. Murray added that complaints are uncommon and that enforcement typically only occurs when neighbors raise concerns.
The police department partners with All of God’s Creatures, a Mount Pleasant nonprofit that provides shelter and food for cats and participates in a trap-and-neuter-release program.
