[ad_1]
The move comes after a judge found City Council overstepped its power in 2021 when members voted to allow the breeds.
AURORA, Colo — This November voters in Aurora will again decide whether to ban pit bulls after a judge ruled earlier this year that City Council overstepped its authority when it allowed the breed and others in 2021.
During Monday night’s city council meeting, members voted to move forward with placing the issue on the ballot.
That January 2021 vote by the council allowed Aurora residents to own pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and Staffordshire bull terriers within city limits. At the time, Mayor Mike Coffman had proposed a ballot measure on lifting the pit bull ban that would have gone to a vote in November 2021. Coffman’s plan for the ballot measure was rejected with a 3-7 vote.
However, after that vote, a resident challenged it, arguing that the council violated the voting rights of citizens. Earlier this year, a judge agreed, saying that under Aurora’s City Charter and Code, an ordinance submitted by voters through a referendum or resolution could only be changed by a vote.
In this case, Aurora voters rejected a ballot measure to repeal the city’s restricted breed ordinance in 2014. About 64% of voters favored keeping the ordinance, which banned the ownership of American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and Staffordshire bull terriers within city limits.
The city’s ban on owning certain breeds had been in place since 2005.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Animals and Wildlife
[ad_2]
Source link
