§ 22-59. Wildlife-resistant refuse containers.

(a)

Purpose. The purpose of this section is to protect public health and welfare by prohibiting the feeding of wildlife in the city so as to minimize the risk of potentially dangerous interactions between humans and wildlife in areas issued wildlife-resistant containers.

(b)

Definitions.

Resident means any person, firm, corporation, or organization within the city or controlled land.

Wildlife means any undomesticated animal including but not limited to deer, hogs, skunks, bears, raccoons, coyotes, beavers, bobcats, squirrels, and opossums.

Wildlife-resistant refuse container means any refuse container that is a fully enclosed metal or plastic container or dumpster with a closing metal or plastic lid. The lid must have a latching mechanism that prevents access to the contents by wildlife.

(c)

Residential refuse disposal.

(1)

All residents in the city that have been issued wildlife-resistant containers shall keep these refuse containers securely latched at all times.

(2)

Residents with curbside pickup shall place their securely-latched wildlife-resistant refuse containers at the curb, alley, or public right-of-way, to the extent possible, the evening before the scheduled pick-up day. Following pick-up, the containers must be removed from the curb, alley, or public right-of-way and securely latched in an appropriate manner before the end of the same day, to the extent possible.

(d)

Special event refuse disposal. Outdoor special event sites shall be kept free from the accumulation of refuse edible by wildlife. Refuse must be collected from the grounds at the close of each day's activities and shall be deposited into appropriate containers or enclosures secured in a manner to prevent access by wildlife, or shall be removed to an appropriate disposal site.

(e)

Construction site refuse disposal. All construction sites shall have a designated container that receives refuse edible by wildlife or such refuse shall be removed from the site by the end of each day. Such container shall be a wildlife-resistant container.

(f)

Prohibitions relative to violations of this section.

(1)

Feeding wildlife prohibited.

a.

No person shall intentionally or negligently feed or provide food for wildlife on public or private property within the city in a manner that would create an attraction for wildlife. Persons will be considered to be in violation of this section if they intentionally or negligently leave or store any garbage, refuse, or food product in a manner that would create an attraction for wildlife. Persons not locking, securing, or latching closed their wildlife-resistant container will be considered as feeding wildlife and in violation of this section. Persons using non-wildlife-resistant containers in such designated areas for use of wildlife-resistant containers will be considered as feeding wildlife and in violation of this section. This provision does not prohibit the legal baiting for the purposes of deer or hog hunting.

b.

In areas designated for the use of specified wildlife-resistant refuse containers no person shall intentionally or negligently leave or store any refuse, food product, pet food, grain, or salt in a manner that would constitute a lure, attractant, or enticement for wildlife. This provision does not prohibit the legal baiting for the purposes of deer or hog hunting.

c.

In areas designated for the use of specified wildlife-resistant refuse containers no person shall intentionally or negligently use squirrel, bird or "critter" feeders that would constitute a lure, attractant, or enticement for wildlife.

d.

Areas not using specified wildlife-resistant refuse containers may use squirrel, bird or "critter" feeders until the time at which they are deemed as an attractant to wildlife and notified as such in writing or verbally by official city or wildlife personnel; at which time the identified attractant must be removed. If a resident refuses or does not remove such attractant after notification, they will be considered in violation of this section.

e.

This section does not apply to:

1.

Any individual, company, or corporation that is duly licensed by the State of Louisiana or otherwise entitled under law to possess a wildlife species.

2.

Any action that is officially authorized by the State of Louisiana that would require feeding, baiting, or luring of wildlife. (An example of one such action would be scientific projects dealing with capturing and tagging wildlife.)

(2)

Penalty assessment. Violation of any provision of this section by any person, firm, or corporation, whether as owner or occupant, shall be subject to a graduated schedule as set forth in subsection (3) of this section.

(3)

Penalties.

a.

The graduated fine schedule for the penalty assessment procedure is as follows:

$ 50.00—$150.00 fine	First violation
$150.00—$1,000.00 fine	Successive violations

 

b.

In addition to the criminal enforcement set forth above, the city may seek an injunction or other appropriate civil relief to enforce the provisions of this section.

(4)

Violators' responsibilities. In addition to the penalties outlined in subsection (3) of this section, upon order of the city police department, violators may be required to perform all necessary actions to remove or abate attractants of wildlife. This may include, but shall not be limited to: the removal of bird or "critter" feeders, removal of pet food, cleaning or appropriate storage of barbeque grills, requiring the use of wildlife-resistant refuse containers, not overfilling the wildlife-resistant containers, or ensuring the wildlife-resistant containers stay securely locked or latched.

(Ord. No. 2016-02 , §§ 1, 2, 3-1-2016; Ord. No. 2016-10B , §§ 1, 2, 11-1-2016)