Everly council bars dog, with conditions

The Everly City Council on Monday voted to remove an allegedly vicious dog from city limits unless its owner installs fencing on her property.

In a unanimous vote, the council agreed Lori Adrian’s dog should be removed from Everly unless some sort of physical fencing is installed around her yard or a dog kennel run is built. Adrian, whose animal allegedly bit a deliveryman in August, said she could not afford new fencing and believed her current in-ground perimeter fence should suffice.

“That dog is not vicious,” she said. “There have been no incidents before or since.”

According to the incident report, Adrian’s dog allegedly bit off-duty Clay County Deputy Tyler Heck on Aug. 11 when he was delivering a package at her residence while working as an Amazon driver. Adrian was charged with owning a vicious animal and ordered to remove it from city limits, which she appealed. She was also charged with interference with official acts and arrested.

According to online court records, all charges relating to the August incident were dismissed in January. Adrian noted that fact during Monday’s meeting and pleaded with the council to keep her dog. She had agreed to remove the animal from her property while the appeal process was ongoing, but brought it back once the charges were dismissed. She said the dog is kept inside when she’s not home unless she has “an exceptionally long workday.”

The council went into a brief recess to debate the issue before making its decision. According to discussion, Adrian will have three days to remove the animal once she receives written notice from the city regarding the council’s decision.

In other business, the council set the public hearing for the proposed 2024-25 property tax levy for Monday, April 1 at 6 p.m. The levy rate is projected to increase 2.38 percent. Initial estimates had it inflating by 6.29 percent.

“Seems like it’s going to be something we just have to do,” City Council Member Tara Patrick said about the increase. “Two-something is better than six-something.”

According to discussion, rate increases for the city’s liability and property insurance are the primary factors for the levy hike.