COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — The Council Bluffs City Council voted 4-1 Monday night to keep the city's pit bull ban in place, rejecting a repeal effort backed by residents and the mayor. Cole Button is the one council member who voted in favor of lifting the ban.
You can learn more about the ban and the effort to repeal it by clicking here.
Many neighbors attended the meeting in favor of removing the ban, taking turns speaking for more than two hours.
Resident Jeff Shudak said the city is losing out financially and fails to fully enforce the ban.
"We're kind of missing the boat on registration fees. There's a whole bunch of pit bulls here," Shudak said.
He also mentioned that the city is losing resident because of it.
"I hear about retention all the time. I know at least ten people who have moved to Omaha because they can't have their dog."
Rachel Binns, a veterinary anesthesiologist at Sirius Veterinary Orthopedic Center, argued that breed is not an indicator of aggression.
"I work with pit bulls, American bullies, labradors, chihuahuas, German Shepards, Rottweilers, a plethora of other breeds — and my experience in this career field has taught me one very important thing — aggression is not determined by breed," Binns said.
Resident Justin Moore described giving up his family dog under the ban.
"I had to give up my dog, sorry, I'll be the first guy to cry, a few weeks ago. It's my family dog. It hurt. All because the lady with animal control said she looked like a pit bull," Moore said.
The ban has been in place for 20 years. The four council members who voted against the repeal say it is keeping the community safe and that the numbers support that position.
Council Bluffs Mayor Jill Shudak was unable to attend the meeting but was also in favor of removing the ban. The mayor said the city already has a dangerous animal ordinance to address individual animals that pose a safety risk.
